Serial Arsonist Is Sought in Orange County

Authorities Monday were searching for a serial arsonist suspected of setting six small blazes in fire-vulnerable terrain along a 13-mile stretch of the Ortega Highway in south Orange County.

Investigators said the same man set five fires Friday and a sixth Sunday. In two incidents, witnesses reported seeing the man lighting the blazes, said Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority.

Each fire was extinguished quickly and with no property damage or injuries, Brown said. The fire sites ranged from 15 square feet to one-eighth of an acre.

Witnesses reported seeing a white man about six feet tall, in his 30s, driving a white or gray four-door sedan, possibly a Camry or Chevrolet sedan, officials said. On Sunday, he was seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

The arsonist, Brown said, was seen parking in emergency turnouts along the highway, which winds east from San Juan Capistrano, past Caspers Wilderness Park, to Lake Elsinore. The remote unincorporated area is especially vulnerable because of its dry brush and scrub and its inaccessibility.

The man used an unknown device to ignite the brush, but no evidence was found near the scene, investigators said.

Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike Fell, who specializes in arson cases, said investigators will look for connections between the spate of Ortega blazes and the 1993 Laguna Beach firestorm, which destroyed or damaged 441 homes and remains unsolved.