Kendall Allen, 21, and his dad, Anthony Lawrence Allen, 47, both of Atherton, California. They have been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. CNN first reported the arrest on Wednesday.
(CNN) – A 21-year-old man and his father have been arrested on suspicion of starting a large fire in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend, police said.
The fire near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge erupted Saturday morning. It was the third major fire to hit the Bay Area in just over a week.
Bart Chavez with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said Kendall Allen and his father, Anthony Lawrence Allen, 47, of Atherton, California, were booked into jail on Wednesday, the same day media outlets first reported the arrests.
CNN was not immediately able to reach attorneys representing the men.
According to CNN affiliate KPIX, the arrest followed a tip from an informant who said that the father and son shared a verbal altercation in the area of Jackson State Island that sparked the blaze.
The tip led police to the Allen’s address, where they went looking for the men. Police said Kendall Allen had fled the area with his father but their car was later found and the two were arrested.
The search for the men began after they were linked to another blaze in the Bay Area earlier in the week.
Mountain View police responded to a report of the Sonoma Complex Fire about 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday and found one man sleeping inside a vehicle, according to a news release. The vehicle was on fire and the man ran away from the vehicle. He was arrested a short time later.
The Sonoma Complex Fire has burned 66,339 acres and is 92% contained.
The Carr Fire, near Redding, California, has burned across 200,000 acres and is 77% contained. It started December 6.