Piercy man arrested on suspicion of starting several fires

An 18-year-old Piercy man is suspected of starting fires around Willits, Laytonville, Leggett and Piercy, Cal Fire said.|
ROBERT DIGITALE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

An 18-year-old Piercy man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of starting several fires in four North Coast communities.

Charles Levi Kirk is suspected of setting fires around Willits, Laytonville, Leggett and Piercy, Cal Fire officials said in a news release. He was booked into Mendocino County Jail on arson charges, with bail set at $150,000.

On Sept. 26 law enforcement officers served a search warrant and seized evidence from Kirk’s property, the news release stated. That was the culmination of a month-long investigation into the Leggett and Piercy area fires by Cal Fire, with assistance from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office.

“Our communities are much safer after this arrest,” Cal Fire’s Mendocino Unit Chief George Gonzalez said in a statement.

Neither he nor the public information officer were immediately available to provide more details. The news release didn’t reveal when the fires occurred or what damage they caused.

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