Grass Fire In Rohnert Park Halts SMART Train; Woman Arrested: Cops

ROHNERT PARK, CA — Public safety officials arrested a woman who started a grass fire that temporarily halted Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train service Tuesday evening in Rohnert Park. At 7:24 p.m., the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety received a report of a grass fire in a field near Redwood Drive and Millbrae Avenue.

Officers arrived at the scene within minutes and found a fire about 25-by-25-feet that was spreading north and east. Firefighters from Rohnert Park and Rincon Valley arrived and quickly attacked the blaze, public
safety officials said.

Due to the fire's proximity to the SMART train tracks, service was halted for about 20 minutes until the fire was under control. The fire burned about half an acre, public safety officials said.

Witnesses reported seeing a woman run from the field where the fire broke out, toward a group of portable bathrooms in the parking lot of Driven Raceway at 4601 Redwood Drive. Officers searched that area and found the woman and determined she had started the blaze, public safety officials said.

The woman was identified as 50-year-old Deborah Garcia. She allegedly told officers that she started the fire to warm up, but that the flames grew beyond her control so she fled the area, public safety officials said.

Garcia was arrested on suspicion of recklessly starting a fire and violating her probation. She was booked into Sonoma County Jail.

By Bay City News Service

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