Marin Independent Journal
A 61-year-old man was arrested Saturday in connection with a series of overnight brush fires in Larkspur and Corte Madera, the Central Marin Police Authority said.
Eric Larson was taken into custody on a probation hold and booked at Marin County Jail on arson charges. Bail was set at $1 million. Larsen, who has no fixed address, was on probation for property crimes in Marin County, said Margo Rohrbacher, spokesperson for the police authority.
No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, Rohrbacher said.
A total of six fires were set, the first three reported in the Corte Madera marsh area at 11 p.m. on Friday. Those fires were small and extinguished quickly, police said. On Saturday at 5:46 a.m. residents reported a fire off the Citron Fire Road in Larkspur’s Blue Rock neighborhood. The fire burned approximately one half acre and prompted the evacuation of about 20 homes on Cedar Avenue and Opal Street. A short time later two more vegetation fires were reported, one on Larkspur Plaza Drive and the other on Rose Lane. All the fires were quickly contained. The Larkspur Plaza fire was extinguished by police officers first on the scene.
A suspicious man was seen in the area of the Larkspur Plaza fire and the witness notified police. Officers located and detained the man without incident near Redwood Highway and Rich Street. The investigation into Larson’s involvement in the fires is continuing, police said.
Fire crews from Kentfield, Ross Valley, San Rafael, and Marin County Fire Departments responded to assist, as well as officers from Mill Valley Police Department and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) team is providing support with aerial photos and mapping of the fire scenes.
The joint investigation is being conducted by the Marin County Fire Investigation Team (MCFIT) and Central Marin Police Investigations unit. Anyone with information can call CMPA at 415-927-5150.
All evacuations were accomplished by officers going door-to-door and notifying residents. The agency’s new Hi-Lo siren notification system was not activated. Had it been a larger area or a fast-moving fire, the siren would have been used, Rohrbacher said.