A man suspected of being involved with a vegetation fire that burned 18 acres in Marin County on Tuesday was arrested the same day, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Colin Crook, a 34-year-old San Rafael man, has been accused of recklessly starting a fire to forest land and resisting a police officer.
The so-called Queenstone Fire broke just after 4 a.m. Tuesday north of Marinwood at Queenstone Fire and Chicken Shack Fire roads, according to PulsePoint emergency alerts.
Over 100 firefighters from Cal Fire and every fire department in Marin County were deployed and extinguished the fire, said Mike Marcucci, a Marin County Fire division chief.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department worked with the Novato Police Department to identify Crook as potentially having a connection to the blaze.
Crook was later located near Safeway on Nave Drive in Novato by patrol units. Crook was detained by officers with the Novato Police Department after a “brief struggle,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Crook allegedly admitted to starting the fire during an interview with Sheriff’s deputies. He said he burned his tent and belongings in the area of the Queenstone fire and left before completely extinguishing it to avoid getting in trouble. He knew starting the fire was reckless, Crook allegedly said in the interview.
The Sheriff’s Office did not say if Crook mentioned any reason for burning his tent.
Crook was booked into the Marin County Jail, where he was being held on a $12,000 total bond.
