Arson Suspect Jailed For Brush Fire, May Be Tied To 2nd Blaze: SRPD

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A man who was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a vegetation fire Saturday in Santa Rosa may be responsible for a second fire, police said.

The first fire broke out around 7 a.m. Saturday. Several people called the Santa Rosa Police Department to report an aggressive man who may have started a fire along the south side of the Santa Rosa Creek Trail, just west of the 1500 block of Apple Creek Lane, SRPD Sgt. Patricia Seffens said.

One caller said the man armed himself with a metal pole or stick. Another witness later told officers the man was seen with a lighter near the fire scene.

An officer and personnel from the Santa Rosa Fire Department responded, but the suspicious man was no longer in the area, Steffens said.

While firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and assess the damage, the officer left the scene to check the area for the suspect. Firefighters soon saw the man and requested that the officer return.

The officer came back and noticed the suspect holding a small lighter. Seffens said the man— later identified as Antonio Martines, 28, a transient from Santa Rosa — repeatedly clicked the lighter and ignited the flame while ignoring the officer's instructions, then ran away.

The officer chased after him and called for backup. As more officers rushed to the scene, Martines tried to hide behind a bush, Seffens said, but was caught within 3 minutes.

Martines, who was already on felony formal probation for assault with a deadly weapon, was booked into Somoma County jail on suspicion of felony arson, misdemeanor resisting arrest and violation of probation. He remained in custody Wednesday and was being held without bail.

Fire investigators were also looking into whether Martines could be responsible for a fire Friday in the same vicinity that burned an area approximately 100 feet long and nearly 10 feet wide.

The fire Saturday consumed several square feet of vegetation.

"We are grateful to the community members who quickly called 911 and began extinguishing the fires before the arrival of fire and police personnel," Seffens said. "Thank you to our partners at the Santa Rosa Fire Department for their swift response and assistance in identifying Martines."