String Of 3 Fremont Fires Investigated As Arson
FREMONT (CBS SF) -- Three one-alarm fires that burned in Fremont's Warm Springs neighborhood early Monday morning appear to have been set intentionally, fire officials said.
The first fire started at about 2:40 a.m. at a YMCA portable building adjacent to James Leitch Elementary School at 47100 Fernald St., Battalion Chief Ron McCormick said.
The building houses a preschool program, and the floor was badly damaged, he said. Preschool staff will need to find another location for the program this morning, McCormick said.
While responding to the first fire, firefighters saw smoke near the baseball diamond at Warm Springs Park at 47300 Fernald Ave., McCormick said.
String Of 3 Fremont Fires Investigated As Arson
A shed had caught fire, and the flames spread to a nearby tree. A Little League team had been using the shed, which was significantly damaged, according to McCormick.
Some of the team's equipment was lost in the fire, Deputy Fire Marshal Amiel Thurston said.
Firefighters also responded to a third fire at 3:15 a.m. at a women's bathroom at Warm Springs Park, he said. All three fires were put out within 15 to 20 minutes and no injuries were reported, McCormick said.
Thurston said Monday morning that it appears all three blazes were intentionally set. Their proximity in time and location to each other suggest that they may have been set by the same person or group of people, he said.
Investigators have not identified any suspects.
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