Parolee arrested in connection to 85-acre fire on Camp Pendleton border

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A parolee was arrested on suspicion of sparking an 85-acre brush fire on the border of Oceanside and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton earlier this week, police said Friday.

Jose Antonio Torres Jr., 35, was charged with arson Thursday in connection with a fire that broke out Tuesday afternoon at the border of Camp Pendleton and Marine Memorial Golf Course in Oceanside.

Multiple witnesses said they saw a man, later identified as Torres, running away from a hill where the fire was sparked, the Oceanside Police Department said. Torres was taken into custody Wednesday for a parole violation on a Los Angeles assault charge.

 Oceanside police and Naval criminal investigators questioned Torres in connection with the fire and A count of arson has since been added.

It took ground and aircraft crews about four hours Tuesday to halt the spread of blaze, which blackened 78 acres in Oceanside and seven on the grounds of Camp Pendleton. No structural damage or injuries were reported.

Torres is being held on at the Vista detention facility on $75,000 bail. He is is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.