Woman held for allegedly starting 5 fires in M’ville

MARYSVILLE – A woman is in custody for allegedly starting five fires in Marysville Wednesday afternoon.

Just after 2:10 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the 11000 block of State Avenue for a report of smoke coming from an abandoned home. Firefighters observed flames and launched a defensive attack to control the blaze.

About 30 minutes later smoke was observed from a small fire burning in a wooded area directly across the street on State Avenue, a fire news release says. First responders discovered a total of four fires burning in the wooded area, with the largest involving tires and other debris. It took firefighters more than two hours to gain control over all of the fires.

All five fires started within a period of 90 minutes, and Marysville police believe all were intentionally set.

A police news release says officers began a K-9 track, searching for a suspect. An officer located a woman in the 3900 block of 116th Street who had black soot on her face and hands. The officer said she smelled like smoke. The 38-year-old Marysville woman was taken into custody around 3:45 p.m. The woman had a warrant for a Reckless Burning charge. She was booked into the Marysville Jail on the warrant. State Avenue was closed for hours while crews worked on putting out the fires.