Man arrested on suspicion of arson after fire near Santa Rosa shopping center

A Santa Rosa man was arrested on suspicion of arson Saturday morning after a small fire burned about 400 square feet near Bay Village Shopping Center in northwest Santa Rosa before firefighters quickly extinguished it.

Around 11 a.m., police and firefighters responded to a call saying a man had lit a field on fire near the shopping center on Marlow Road near Piner Road, Santa Rosa police said in a news release.

People told police they had seen the suspect, Jacey Steven Ludwicki, 43, of Santa Rosa, set an object on fire before dropping it to the ground and “intentionally fanning the flame” into a patch of dry grass behind the shopping center, police said.

Ludwicki later admitted intentionally setting the blaze, officers reported.

The area only burned a 400 square feet before it was quickly put out by the Santa Rosa Fire Department, police said.

Ludwicki was booked at the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony arson and a misdemeanor for violating his probation, said Sgt. Matt North.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-521-5224 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the location of the fire.