CDF offers reward on arsonist who may have set 16 wildfires
Park fires spark fears of major hillside blaze
By Jeff Kearns
As if to underscore their point, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials held a press conference July 13 in the worst kind of fire weather. They announced, in the scorching, mid-morning heat, that they are on the trail of a man they believe could be connected with a series of wildfires in the hills above Cupertino, Los Gatos and Almaden Valley.
Between May 10 and July 6, CDF crews responded to 16 fires along hiking trails in county parks and open space preserves that they believe were intentionally set.
Investigators don't have much to go on, but an eyewitness came forward recently with information about a man seen leaving the scene of a June 13 fire in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. A sketch artist created a composite sketch from a description, and CDF put up a $10,000 reward for information that results in an arrest and conviction.
CDF officials, along with other police and fire agencies, are looking for a man described as thin, 5 feet, 7 inches to 6 feet tall, age 19 to mid-20s, who was last seen wearing a long-sleeved royal blue shirt and baggy black pants.
Since the press conference, CDF has recieved about 20 tips from people who think they know someone who might be involved and people who think they might have seen someone in the area of the fires.
CDF is starting to check out those leads with a team of fire and law enforcement officials from different agencies, CDF spokesman Curt Itson said, but he would not discuss how the fires started or what kind of investigative tactics they are using, because of the pending investigation.
The fires were confined to only a few acres each and were under control before they could spread and cause serious damage, but Itson warns that a major fire in the area, especially in heavily-vegetated areas on hot, windy days, could be disastrous.
"What we're worried about is the potiential for a large, damaging fire," Itson said. "There could be anything from loss of life of residents or firefighters to extreme property damage, and with the history of fire in the Bay Area, with Oakland Hills and The Cats fire, it's pretty evident what can happen in an urban area."
The first incident was a set of three fires that cropped up on May 16 in Stevens Creek County Park above Cupertino and Saratoga, followed by several other fires in that park, four of which were set June 6.
Firefighters responded to a fire about two miles south of downtown Los Gatos on the morning of June 15 on a hiking trail just up the hill from the boat launching area in Lexington Reservoir County Park. Another fire on June 30 scorched the hills alongside a hiking trail near Hicks Road outside of the Los Gatos town limits.
Four other fires, including the most recent, on July 6, cropped up south of San Jose in and around Almaden Quicksilver County Park.
CDF says it is looking for the man seen leaving the area of the Quicksilver fire on June 13. They want to question him about his involvement in the fire, adding that he may be either a suspect or a witness.
CDF is working on the case with the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, San Jose Fire Department, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and the county fire, sheriff's and parks departments.
Anyone with information that may help identify the suspect is asked to leave a voicemail message at (408) 778-6041. The tip lines protect callers' privacy, but callers must leave a name and number to collect a reward.
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Sketch matches description of man seen leaving area where a fire broke out near Almaden Quicksilver Park
