SANTEE
Authorities investigating a fire in the Santee riverbed Friday as a possible arson after someone saw a person with a gas can leaving the area, the Sheriff’s Department said.
The fire was reported just before 11:30 a.m. south of Mast Park, Sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Hampton of the department’s bomb/arson unit said in a news release. The unit has taken over the investigation.
The riverbed runs under the bridge along Carlton Hills Boulevard north of Mission Gorge Road.
Deputies evacuated the park as firefighters used water drops and ground crews to fight the blaze. Battalion Chief Aaron Bagley from the Santee Fire Department told OnScene TV that crews were able to keep the fire to about a quarter-acre. He also said there is an encampment in the area.
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