Woman arrested after setting fire in Duncans Mills and attempting to steal fire chief’s pickup truck

A woman was arrested early Thursday after a fire official said she set three fires in western Sonoma County and tried to drive away in his pickup truck.

The Monte Rio Fire Protection District responded shortly after 2:05 a.m. to a reported fire around the shopping center in the 25100 block of Main Street in Duncans Mills, Fire Chief Steve Baxman said.

Firefighters located three fires – one in a hedge, one in a rubbish bin in a wooden container in a doorway and one in a rubbish bin in a bathroom – and quickly extinguished them. The most recent fire caused about $5,000 to $10,000 in damage, Baxman said.

Nobody was injured.

But Baxman said a woman tried to drive away in his truck, which he had parked at the scene of the accident.

“She pushed all kinds of buttons,” Baxman said. “With the newer trucks you have to keep your foot on the brake and turn a small wheel to put it in gear. Well, she didn’t know how to do that.”

Baxman eventually lured the woman out of the truck.

After the fires were contained, Baxman said the woman told him she started the fires to keep warm. She said she ran out of gas near Jenner and walked the nearly 5 miles to Duncans Mills, eventually using newspapers to start a few flames.

Baxman said he confiscated a lighter from the woman before the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office responded and arrested her.

The sheriff’s office initially had no information on the case.

Reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.