CONCORD (KRON) — Fire investigators from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District have arrested a man on suspicion of arson.
Thirty-three-year-old Joshua Van Buskirk is suspected of using incendiary devices to try to burn homes in Antioch and Concord on Dec. 23rd and 24th.
A fire was reported on Dec. 24 at the 3600 block of Walnut Avenue in Concord.
Later in the morning, police said they were called to a “cold fire” in the 4100 block of Churchill Drive in Concord. The garage door of the single-family home was damaged while people were sleeping inside, police said.
Molotov Cocktail devices were found at both locations, according to police.
Van Buskirk was connected to a vehicle arson on the 400 block of Ridgewood Court on Dec. 23, police said.
Police also said Van Buskirk was linked to a car fire on Oct. 12.
Van Buskirk was charged with arson to an inhabited dwelling, possessing a destructive device, child endangerment, and arson to property.
Bail is set at $2.1 million, police said.
He was found at his residence in Walnut Creek and booked into the county jail in Martinez.