Police and firefighters scrambling to put out dozens of suspicious fires in Pasco this summer have noticed a dramatic drop in the number of them. That change seems to have come right after the arrest of a man who appeared in court again Thursday morning.
Right now it's hard to get any clear answers from Pasco Police or the Pasco Fire Department regarding the investigation of 44-year-old Abel Contreras.
Thursday morning, Contreras made another appearance in court. All that happened was a continuation of his case until later this month. Right now he's only charged with one count of second degree arson. Investigators say Contreras matches a person seen on security camera starting a fire at the Super Mex on North 20th Avenue all the way back in October.
We talked to Battalion Chief Dave Hare from the Pasco Fire Department Thursday afternoon. He told me ever since Contreras' arrest in August, the firefighters have dealt with significantly fewer suspicious fires. And it's allowed them to focus on other work.
"With the decrease in suspicious fires in town here, we've been able to focus our energies more toward helping out the rest of the state with their larger fires," Battalion Chief Hare said. "Focus on some projects that we've had to put, pardon the pun, on the back burner, so it's certainly helped out a bunch."
Pasco Police tell us Contreras is being investigated for the other arsons around Pasco this summer, but won't say anything more because it's an o-going investigation.
Contreras' next court appearance is the 17th of this month.
Batalian Chief hare wanted to make sure we told everyone, that even though our temperatures are getting cooler now, the risk of fire is still very high. There are still a lot of dry fuels and everyone needs to be careful.