An Aromas man was arrested for felony arson after allegedly
trying to commit suicide by burning down a small outbuilding next
to his home in the 600 block of Cole Road Monday, according to
police.
Aromas – An Aromas man was arrested for felony arson after allegedly trying to commit suicide by burning down a small outbuilding next to his home in the 600 block of Cole Road Monday, according to police.
The 26-year-old man, who is not being named, was under the influence of a controlled substance – possibly an inhalant – but did not suffer any physical injuries from the fire, said San Benito County Sheriff’s Deputy Rich Brown. He said it is unknown what kind of an inhalant the man used, but his symptoms were indicative of huffing paint thinner, or something similar.
He was taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital for treatment for being under the influence and then booked into the San Benito County Jail in lieu of $100,000, he said.
Brown said the man most likely set the fire but was never in the building, because there was no physical evidence on him to indicate he was inside when it caught fire.
The fire began around 4:20pm and was put out in about an hour by firefighters from the San Juan Bautista Volunteer Fire Department, California Department of Forestry in Aromas and North County Fire District, said CDF Investigator Cliff Williams.
Williams determined the man poured some type of flammable liquid throughout the building to start the fire. The 12 by 30-foot building was completely gutted by the fire, and Williams said it took emergency personnel a while to get to the blaze because people were calling from all over the area reporting the black smoke and firefighters weren’t sure where it was.
“One report even came from downtown Hollister,” he said. “You could see the smoke from that far.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
