Investigators have no suspects in a string of fires behind Park
Hill dating back to early August that they think were deliberately
ignited, firefighters said.
Hollister – Investigators have no suspects in a string of fires behind Park Hill dating back to early August that they think were deliberately ignited, firefighters said.
Firefighters responded to two more quarter-acre vegetation fires on Thursday in the area where four suspicious fires were started in August.
Small fires in the area are not unusual during the summer months when the grass is dry and a high number of people frequent the area, said Mikel Martin, division chief for the Monterey California Department of Forestry.
“There’s a high number of transients, kids playing around, people going through there doing numerous activities,” Martin said. “The best we can do is conduct fire preventive activities and keep an eye on folks.”
Martin said firefighters target schools every year to teach children the dangers of playing with matches and starting fires to try to combat the problem.
The private property behind Park Hill encompasses between five and six acres, and was a common convergence spot for the area’s homeless, said San Benito County Sheriff’s Lt. Pat Turturici.
About a month ago the sheriff’s department asked the approximately 13 homeless people who were residing in the area to leave, and since then there haven’t been as many fires in the area, he said.
“I can’t prove (the fires were started by homeless people), but when you have a bunch of people living around an area that is a fire hazard, it’s a very high possibility,” Turturici said. “But it could have been anyone because the area is not fenced… it’s open season up there.”
Martin said the homeless population that inhabited the area may have started the fires, but possibly not intentionally.
“They were making warming fires at night and getting away from them,” he said.
Most of the fires started during the day, and Martin said it’s possible the fires were started at night but not properly extinguished. Throughout the day the smoldering embers could have ignited nearby dry grass which started the blazes, he said.The sheriff’s department routinely patrols the area looking for people conducting suspicious activities, Turturici said.
“But we can only do so much,” he said. “I suggested to the Forestry Division that they try to do a controlled burn and get rid of the vegetation, but I haven’t been able to get them to do that yet.”
There are several people who own portions of the land near Park Hill, and Martin said CDF is working with them, the city and the county to possibly conduct a controlled burn of the area in the future.
“It’s not something where you can just walk in and say we’re going to do this today,” Martin said. “Due to the late date in fire season it’s being considered for next spring.”
Anyone with information about people setting fires in the area of Park Hill should contact the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department at 636-4080, the Hollister Fire Department at 636-4325 or the California Department of Forestry at 637-4475.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
