Man arrested in connection with Bonsall fire to be released

According to a report by Fox5 News in San Diego, 34-year-old Brad Arands who was arrested Sunday, Nov. 11 in connection with a five-acre brush fire that broke out near Highway 76 in Bonsall, will be released due to a lack of evidence.

Arands was initially arrested on a felony arson charge, but according to Steve Walker, San Diego County District Attorney's Office communications director, prosecutors have not been presented with enough evidence to file charges.

The fire broke out around 12:30 p.m. in an area near Ramona Drive and burned for around three hours before it could be completely contained, according to Cal Fire San Diego.

A sheriff's deputy had already begun to investigate smoke in the area and arrived at the scene of the fire as firefighters first began to be notified, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jeff Schmidt. Upon arrival, the deputy saw a man walking away from the blaze who was behaving in a manner that was described as "highly suspicious.''

Arands was detained until firefighters could get the blaze under control, then booked into the Vista Detention Facility, Schmidt said.

Ground and air crews from both Cal Fire and the North County Fire Protection District were deployed to the area, and the forward spread of the fire had been halted by about 12:45 p.m. The fire was completely contained by about 3:30 p.m.

One outbuilding and a deck attached to a residence were damaged by the fire. No injuries were reported, according to Cal Fire Capt. Issac Sanchez.

The fire came just hours after a red flag warning went into effect for the area as gusty winds, low humidity and dry brush combine to create extreme fire-prone conditions in San Diego and much of the rest of Southern California.

The investigation is ongoing.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Jeff Pack can be reached at [email protected].