A Susanville man was arrested June 13th, on charges that he started a fire which burned a significant portion of his own apartment at the Parkview Garden apartments on Limoneria Avenue.
The Susanville Interagency Dispatch Center dispatched crews from the Susanville Fire Department to the reported multi-family structure fire at about 5:30p.m., advising that it was unknown if everyone, including two tenants who were known to be disabled, were out of the building.
“Susanville City Truck One arrived on scene and encountered heavy smoke coming from an upstairs apartment,” explains SFD Fire Captain Dale Johnson.
“Truck One made entry into building D and confirmed that one apartment was on fire with unknown occupant status and that the occupants of the other seven apartments were out of the building.”
Truck One then advanced a hoseline upstairs and made entry into the apartment on fire where crews were met with heavy smoke and high heat.
Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire and advanced the hoseline down the hallway extinguishing fire in the kitchen and both bedrooms. A primary search of the apartment revealed the occupant had made it out safely.
Once the fire was extinguished, fire crews from SFD E622, E623, CalFire E2261 and E2271 overhauled the apartment looking for hazards and hidden fires.
Fans were set up to clear the building of smoke. Due to the aggressive fire attack, the damage was limited to minor smoke damage in six apartments, water damage to the apartment under the fire, and fire/water damage to the apartment of origin.
Occupants were allowed to return to the minor smoke-damaged apartments.
“Once the overhaul was completed, a fire investigation began. Members of the SFD and SPD interviewed the occupant of the burned apartment, Matthew Davis, and he confessed to starting the fire.”
Davis was placed under arrest and booked into the Lassen County Jail on arson charges.
There were no civilian injuries and no firefighter injuries. The Susanville Fire Department was supported by CalFire, Susan River Fire District, City of Susanville Gas Dept, LMUD and the Susanville Police Department.
