6 Rubbish Fires Set Near Kearny Mesa

San Diego police arrested a man near Sharp Memorial Hospital early Sunday after six small fires were reported in the Birdland and Kearny Mesa neighborhoods before sunrise, according to local news reports citing fire officials. Five of the fires were reported within one hour beginning at 4:05 a.m., and a sixth was reported at 5:40 a.m. on Linda Vista Road, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said, according to City News Service reports carried by local outlets. The fires involved dumpsters, rubbish, burning material on concrete and at least one tree, according to those reports. Police had not publicly identified the suspect in the reports reviewed on Tuesday. ### Where did the fires happen? Birdland and Kearny Mesa were the two San Diego neighborhoods named in the reports. The arrest was made near Sharp Memorial Hospital, a landmark on the edge of the area where emergency crews and police were responding Sunday morning, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune and 10News. (10news.com) Linda Vista Road was identified as the location of the sixth fire. One report said that fire broke out between Mesa College Drive and Genesee Avenue, placing at least part of the incident corridor near schools, hospitals and major commuter routes. (sandiegouniontribune.com) ### What kinds of fires were set? Dumpsters and rubbish piles were among the items set on fire, according to Patch’s item listing and City News Service reports published by local outlets. One tree also was set ablaze before the suspect was taken into custody, Patch reported. A separate pickup of the same incident described other small ignition points, including burning oil on concrete surfaces and burning trash at a bus stop. (newsbreak.com) Those details appeared in follow-up aggregations citing the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, though officials’ own public incident page reviewed Tuesday did not list the full sequence in an easily searchable entry. (patch.com) ### How quickly did the fires unfold? The first five fires were reported within about an hour starting at 4:05 a.m. Sunday, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department as quoted by 10News and Times of San Diego. The sixth followed at 5:40 a.m. That timeline matters because it shows crews were dealing with multiple ignition points across two adjoining neighborhoods before dawn. (fakta.co) Local reports did not say that any injuries were reported, and the available accounts described the fires as small. (10news.com) ### What do authorities say about the suspect? A man was arrested on suspicion of setting the fires, according to the local reports. The stories reviewed Tuesday did not name him, and Patch’s listing described the suspect as unidentified. Police and fire officials were treating the case as suspected arson, according to the reports. (sandiegouniontribune.com) None of the reviewed stories said Tuesday whether prosecutors had filed charges or whether the suspect had made a court appearance. ### What remains unclear? (10news.com) San Diego authorities had not publicly released, in the reports reviewed Tuesday, a full list of fire addresses, a damage estimate or the suspect’s identity. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s public incidents page showed current and recent incidents but did not, in the material accessible during this review, provide the detailed narrative carried by local news reports. (timesofsandiego.com) Tuesday’s next concrete step is likely to come from San Diego police or the San Diego County District Attorney if charges are filed, while local outlets including Patch, 10News and the Union-Tribune have already published initial accounts of the arrest and fire sequence. (patch.com) (sdfdpub.sandiego.gov)