By Jim Wasserman and Mark Glover
jwasserman@sacbee.com
Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested a 47-year-old area man today on suspicion of arson after the number of suspicious regional fires since Thursday grew to 27, a Sacramento Metro Fire District official said.
Authorities arrested Edward Martin on two counts of arson in connection with fires reported in the Florin Road area at 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Rice.
Martin does not have a fixed address, he said.
Martin's arrest was the first related to arson fires started in recent days in South Sacramento, Del Paso Heights, North Highlands and Carmichael.
"They're not all connected together, but different sets of them are connected," said Rice. "We're trying to work hard to get the people who are doing it caught."
Martin is not a suspect in other suspicious area blazes over the past week, Rice said. There were no injuries in either small fire linked to Martin.
Sacramento fire officials said the suspicious blazes included a house fire on Diana Way, a fire at Southwoods Park near the intersection of French and Gerber roads in south Sacramento, a small fire at Foothill High School off Hillsdale Boulevard and a pair of grass fires in Del Paso Heights.
No injuries were reported in any of the fires, he said.
Call The Bee's Jim Wasserman, (916) 321-1102.
KCRA: Transient accused of arson
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