Cal Fire arrested a man Friday on suspicion of arson related to the recent Lilac and Pala wildfires, officials said.
The 48-year-old man was arrested by Cal Fire Law Enforcement Investigators who were examining the cause of two fires that ignited on Jan. 21., officials said.
The Pala fire began around 12:15 a.m. west of I-15 and north of Highway 76. About half an hour later, the Lilac fire was reported north of West Lilac Road and just west of Interstate 15.
Together, the Lilac and Pala fires burned about 100 acres, Cal Fire said. Most of that acreage was scorched by the Lilac fire, which burned about 85 acres in a rural area with some homes on large plots of land.
Cal Fire said their investigation efforts and witness reports led to the arrest nearly a month after the fires. The man is accused of two counts of felony arson and was booked into the Vista Detention Facility, officials said.
Cal Fire said the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, North County Fire Protection District, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.
Over the course of a few days in January, high winds, low humidity and dry brush fueled several fires around the county. The biggest were the 85-acre Lilac fire in Bonsall and a fire near Otay Mountain that exploded to more than 6,600 acres.
