Double Fire Suspect Arrested In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Police arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of arson-related offenses Tuesday after firefighters extinguished two grass fires, marking his second arson arrest since July.

Santa Rosa police officers and firefighters responded at 3:01 a.m. on Wednesday to the 1100 block of South Wright Road after witnesses reported someone they suspected of igniting fires.

Witnesses reported two fires burning near each other and saw a man wrapped in a white blanket running south on South Wright Road toward a culvert beneath the roadway.

Firefighters found both fires burning in cut, dry seasonal grass. Crews quickly extinguished the flames and contained the fires to areas measuring 40 feet by 10 feet and 10 feet by 5 feet.

A witness directed police officers to the culvert, where they found Wuilton DeLeon Reyes, 46, next to a light-colored blanket.

Police said DeLeon Reyes was serving misdemeanor probation for an unrelated conviction. A probation search uncovered two Bic lighters and empty cigarette wrapping material, police said.

A Santa Rosa Fire Department investigator responded to the scene. Based on the investigation, officers arrested DeLeon Reyes on suspicion of arson-related offenses and violating probation. Police booked him into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility.

Police previously arrested DeLeon Reyes on July 13 after security camera footage allegedly identified him as the suspect in a separate arson case.

DeLeon Reyes was suspected of setting fire to a backyard fence and couch in the 700 block of A Street.

Police warned that hot and dry conditions continue to increase the danger that fires will spread including in urban areas that interface with fire-prone vegetation.

Ordinances require property owners to cut seasonal grasses to 4 inches during the locally declared fire season, according to Santa Rosa police.