A 65-year-old man of the City of Hercules is said to appear in court on June 27 for being the suspect of starting two wildland fires this past weekend in Lake County.
The man, Merrill C. Brown, was arrested this week that took a group effort from Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, other local personnel, and law enforcement.
The two fires broke out near Lakeport and Kelseyville and were extinguished quickly by Cal Fire, Lakeport Fire Department, and Kelseyville Fire Department burning one-half of an acre collectively.
According to Lakeport Fire, Brown was at the scene of the fire in Lakeport that occurred during the evening hours. He was approached by Fire personnel and Brown provided them with a story of how he ignited the fire accidentally.
Brown is an electrician who was born in the City of Lakeport, as reported in the Lake County jail records. He is currently being held in a Lake County jail and is up for bail for $100,000.
These two fires are part of a series of blazes that broke out this week across Lake County. Most recently, a hillside fire in Clearlake Oaks struck three motorhomes Wednesday evening. According to Northshore Fire Protection Chief Jay Bristianos, dispatchers received reports that a mobile home was on fire by 7:34 p.m. and the fire had spread to two more trailers. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Hours before that, a fire that burned about 1.5 acres hit land in Lower Lake due to someone mowing their lawn under scorching weather conditions.
State and local fire officials advise the public to report suspicious happenings and to be cautious during their outdoor activities, especially with the recent heat wave.
