CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Police Department arrested a 49-year-old transient woman today on suspicion of arson related to Wednesday’s brush fire near the north side of Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad.
Dawn Ann Crawford was arrested on the 100 block of Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos by Carlsbad police officers with the assistance of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Crawford, who was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on two arson charges, is currently experiencing homelessness, according to law enforcement officials.
In addition to a three-alarm fire that destroyed nearly three acres, Lt. Kevin Lehan told The Coast News Crawford had allegedly tried to light two other fires. Lehan said a resident who was walking in the area noticed one of the smaller fires and quickly put it out.
“We had a couple of different fires that were smoldering along a route,” Lehan said.
At approximately 3:45 p.m. on January 20, firefighters from Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista fire departments responded to reports of multiple active fires in the 4000 block of Park Drive between Marina and Bayshore drives with numerous single-family homes located nearby.
Law enforcement officials determined no one was injured during the neighborhood conflagration.
After crews put out the flames, Carlsbad and Oceanside fire departments began the investigation to determine the origins of the fire before handing the case to law enforcement.
“The detectives did some follow up … and over the course of the last day-and-a-half or so and looking at investigative resources determine she was a very good suspect,” Lehan said. “They knew who she was and put out information trying to find her. She frequents our area and San Marcos.”
Lehan said at the moment, Crawford is not suspected of starting the Comet Fire on Jan. 14 that scorched roughly 50 acres near Palomar College in San Marcos.
