A Bay Area man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with two small wildland fires that broke out Sunday and Monday in Lake County.
Merrill C. Brown, 65, of Hercules, is suspected of starting the fires, one near Lakeport and one near Kelseyville, according to Cal Fire.
State and local firefighters quickly extinguished the fires, limiting them to a half acre altogether, officials said.
Cal Fire Capt. Warren Parrish said he cannot divulge further details of the arson investigation at this time. Brown, an electrician who was born in Lakeport, is being held on $100,000 bail, according to Lake County jail records.
The fires erupted as a record breaking heat wave struck the North Coast and as Lake County struggles to rebuild following devastating fires in 2015 and 2016.