A 31-year-old man who admitted to sparking a blaze that burned about five acres in Palmdale was jailed this week.
The fire was reported just after 5 p.m. Tuesday near the 500 block of East Avenue R-8, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Marion Tucker, who was on a motorcycle, arrived at the scene and spotted the suspect, identified as Oscar Dominguez, running through a field and across some railroad tracks, but was unable to immediately take the man into custody, she told a news photographer at the scene.
Dominguez was apprehended with a torch lighter in his possession soon after in a nearby neighborhood with the assistance of residents, Tucker said.
Air and ground crews managed to douse the flames in about 30 minutes. The fire got within a few blocks of homes, but no evacuations were ordered and no injuries were reported.
Bail for Dominguez was set at $50,000. His place of residence was not immediately available.
