Man arrested after two suspicious fires in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of setting two fires in South Lake Tahoe early Thursday morning.

At just before 1:00 a.m. April 8, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) and South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) responded to the report of a wildland fire in the 1500 block of Al Tahoe Boulevard. SLTPD officers arrived on scene and were able to extinguish the fire. It was determined the fire had been intentionally set.

At the same time, about one-quarter-mile away, SLTFR located a second fire that was also intentionally set. Fire personnel observed a male subject nearby that attempted to conceal himself in the brush. Officers arrived at the second fire and detained a suspect, identified as Issac Escalera, a recently arrived transient to the South Lake Tahoe area.

An investigation by SLTPD detectives led to Escalera being arrested and booked into the El Dorado County jail for two counts of Arson to Forest Land. He is being held in lieu of $110,000 bail.

On Sunday, April 4, SLTFR responded to a small fire in the same area, near Lake Tahoe Community College, at 11:56 a.m. It was quickly extinguished. At this time detectives do not believe the three fires are related.