Eric Thomas Larson was booked at the Marin County Jail Saturday in suspicion of starting a half-dozen brush fires — three of the six which burned near the Village Shopping Center — across Larkspur and Corte Madera that took dozens of firefighters hours to extinguish.
With much of the state already in drought-like conditions, this year's fire season has the potential to be yet another perilous one. And those worries and anxieties were only magnified over the weekend when a sixty-something man allegedly set fire to various brush and marsh areas across Larkspur, prompting swift evacuations and leaving firefighters and law enforcement to tend to the multiple blazes.
NOTIFICATION: Central Marin Fire has extinguished several small vegetation fires in Larkspur and Corte Madera overnight. Central Marin Police has a suspect in custody.
— Central Marin Fire (@centralmarinfd) June 13, 2020
As reported by the Chronicle, NBC Bay Area, and KPIX, Larson is believed to have started the cross-city fires after he was spotted by an unnamed witness in an area near a blaze at a Larkspur Plaza. Police located him hours after and was promptly arrested; Larson, who has no "fixed address" is also being held in possible violation of prior parole charges related to property crimes in Marin County.
One early Saturday morning fire allegedly set by Larson initially started off Citron Fire Road in Larkspur’s Blue Rock neighborhood, burning half an acre and causing authorities to evacuate twenty nearby homes. The Chronicle noted that firefighters from the Central Marin, Kentfield, RossValley, San Rafael and Marin County fire departments were all involved battling the fires.
Images from the vegetation fire in Larkspur this morning. No homes were damaged and all evacuations have been lifted. Having adequate defensible space around this home assisted firefighters in extinguishing and protecting the home. #readyforwilfire #defensiblespace pic.twitter.com/tBLUVRimGM
— Central Marin Fire (@centralmarinfd) June 13, 2020
Larson's bail is currently set at $250K and no structural damage or injuries were reported.
Related: Newsom Vows to Holds PG&E’s Feet to the Fire as Wildfires and COVID-19 Collide
Image: Unsplash