Man arrested after fire breaks out near closed Carl’s Jr. in Ukiah – The Ukiah Daily Journal

Firefighters battle a grass fire near the closed Carl’s Jr. in Ukiah on Saturday. (Peter Armstrong)

A man suspected of setting a fire behind an abandoned fast-food restaurant on North State Street in Ukiah on Saturday has been arrested, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported.

MCSO spokesman Captain Quincy Cromer said Kristo M. Ousey, 40, of Ukiah, met another person in the vacant building “to smoke marijuana and Ousey negligently disposed of the ashes, (which) is believed to have been the cause of the fire.”

Cromer said Ousey was arrested on suspicion of violating probation and held in Mendocino County without bail while MCSO “conducts an arson investigation and (we) plan to request an additional arson charge from the (Mendocino County) District Attorney.”

Cromer said the MCSO’s investigation into the fire “includes obtaining surveillance footage from nearby businesses.”

When asked if the second person who was at the scene with Ousey was arrested, Cromer said he was not aware of it.

Ukiah Valley Fire Authority and Cal Fire personnel responded to the fire on June 15. Due to “multiple emergency calls,” firefighters initially believed the building was on fire. However, upon arrival, they found “a grass fire adjacent to the building,” which was quickly extinguished.