(KRON) — A man was arrested in connection to a series of fires sparked across Petaluma, the Petaluma Police Department announced on Saturday. Police and officials from the Petaluma Fire Department had responded to three separate fires in one week prior to this arrest.
According to police, Alexander Gasparyan, a 33-year-old Petaluma resident, was arrested for “reckless burning,” which is considered a felony.
The first fire was sparked early on Oct. 7. According to PPD, both police and firefighter officials responded to a fire of a portable toilet located near a soccer field at Lucchesi Park. The fire both consumed the toilet and threatened a nearby shipping container with property belonging to the Petaluma Youth Soccer League, police said.
Four days later, at about 2 a.m., police and fire officials were dispatched to a structure fire on Maria Drive. Fire crews arrived to find the city’s Parks Department maintenance building “fully engulfed in flames.” The Petaluma Fire Prevention Bureau responded, and police said the blaze was tamed before spreading to nearby buildings.
Later that same day, at about 10 p.m., police and fire officials responded to a third fire reported in a remote area just north of the Lynch Creek Trail and west of Highway 101. A witness had reported the man responsible for the fires “was in the field armed with a machete.”
A police officer then deployed his department drone to provide real-time updates to other responding officers, PPD said. Officers then spotted Gasparayan near the third fire, with the machete at “reaching distance” of him.
“After completing their investigation, which included speaking to Gasparyan and several witnesses, officers determined Gasparyan was responsible for igniting the small vegetation fire,” Petaluma police said, claiming it is still unknown as to why the 33-year-old sparked the fires in the first place.PPD said this investigation is ongoing.
Police are also investigating a separate incident concerning a stabbing near the Lynch Creek Trail fire. According to police, two men were walking along the trail at about 6:40 a.m. when a man confronted and stabbed one of them. The stab victim’s wounds were non-lethal, and the two were able to flee the area, PPD said.
“It is unknown if the fires and assault are connected,” Petaluma police said.
