A 57-year-old man was arrested in connection with an encampment fire that killed another man over the weekend in San Diego’s Mountain View neighborhood, authorities said Tuesday.
Jose Arredondo was arrested Monday in the 4100 block of Newton Avenue, according to the San Diego Police Department.
At 10:23 p.m. Saturday, police dispatchers received a report of an encampment on fire at 900 S. 45th St. Officers arrived to find a large fire on the sidewalk and a man suffering from severe burns. San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel extinguished the blaze and treated the victim, police said.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he died Sunday. His name is being withheld pending family notification, the department reported.
Detectives from the Metro Arson Strike Team said they determined the fire was “intentionally set.” Witnesses told police they saw a man in his 60s leaving the area as the fire started.
Arredondo was booked into the San Diego County Jail on suspicion of murder and arson. The SDPD’s Homicide Unit is handling the investigation.
Anyone with further information about the case was urged to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.