A transient was arrested over Thanksgiving weekend for allegedly setting a spate of brush fires in East County last month.
Allen Dinoyo, an unsheltered man whose age was not immediately available, was taken into custody Saturday after allegedly sparking the last two fires in the series of blazes, which according to Cal Fire began on Nov. 10.
The largest of the nine fires — which prompted residential evacuation orders but caused no reported structural damage or injuries — started early on the afternoon of Nov. 20 near the intersection of the 94 freeway and Millar Ranch Rd. in Jamul.
During the Millar Fire, authorities directed residents of about 65 homes in the area to leave their neighborhoods as a precaution while firefighters worked to put out the flames on the ground and from above using air tankers and water-dropping helicopters.
Within several hours, the personnel had halted the spread of the blaze at roughly 11 acres.
While crews were fighting the initial fire, five more vegetation blazes broke out in the Dehesa area and in Rancho San Diego.
Crews had those fires — which, combined, blackened several open acres — under control by late that afternoon.
The subsequent two blazes took place in La Mesa and in the city of San Diego proper, according to Cal Fire.
Details on those weekend fires were unavailable Monday. Authorities did not disclose what led investigators to identify Dinoyo as the suspect in the arsons.
City News Service contributed to this report.
