Turlock man arrested after allegedly setting fire to his own home
A Turlock man was arrested early Wednesday after investigators say he intentionally set fire to his own residence, damaging two structures and prompting a large multi-agency response.
All Turlock Fire Department units responded at about 3 a.m. to a structure fire in the 900 block of Wayside Drive, according to fire officials.
Fire crews arriving on scene found heavy smoke coming from the main residence, Capt. Jason Bernard, a spokesperson for the department, said. Firefighters quickly discovered a second, detached structure burning behind the main house, he said.
“So we had two structure fires on one property,” Bernard said.
The fires were brought under control in about 30 minutes, followed by several hours of overhaul to ensure no hot spots remained.
Turlock police officers responding to the scene located a man later identified as Noe Rodriguez, 41, of Turlock, standing near the residence as it burned, according to Police Department spokesperson Dominique Sanchez.
“The homeowner made spontaneous statements indicating he had intentionally started the fire,” Sanchez said. “Further investigation and interviews confirmed Rodriguez had set fire to his own residence.”
The Stanislaus County Fire Investigation Unit, working alongside Police Department, determined the fire was an arson. Rodriguez was arrested and booked on two counts of arson and resisting arrest, and also on outstanding warrants, police said.
Rodriguez was the only one displaced by the fire, Bernard confirmed. No injuries were reported and “there’s no ongoing concern for nearby residents,” Bernard said, noting that utilities at the property were shut off as a precaution.
Anyone with information related to the fire is asked to contact the Stanislaus County Fire Investigation Unit at 209-525-5537.
