By Mary O’KEEFE

Gary Quick, 41, a transient, has been arrested for starting a fire on June 22 in the 3600 block of La Crescenta Avenue.

Two officers responded to the call concerning a “transient” who may have started the fire. A neighbor was at home around the time the fire started. The neighbor said the suspect ran up to him and [allegedly] said, “I just lit a fire. I think the fire department can put it out.”

He also asked the resident if he had some food, said Sgt. Miguel Porras.

“The neighbor gave him a [soda],” he added.

The neighbor and another witness contacted the fire department after seeing smoke.

“We were able to get a description of a male,” Porras said. “[The officers] recognized the guy.” Glendale Police Dept. is familiar with the suspect who has often been in the area. They were able to arrest Quick, who allegedly told the officers that he had dropped a match on the hillside.

It did not take the fire department long to extinguish the fire.

This was one example of how residents can, and should, be alert to the area around them. Crescenta Valley has had a lot of rain, creating vegetation that is now lush but, when the temperature rises, vegetation dries out, becoming fire fuel.

Porras said it is important for residents to be vigilant and if they see anything suspicious to call the police. There is a heightened tension today since it is the Fourth of July and, even though personal fireworks are illegal, there have been people who set them off. This can be very dangerous.

“Fire can spread quickly and can get out of control,” Porras said.

The GPD is working with GFD to educate everyone, especially young people, about the consequences of fireworks and accidental fires.

Porras said they have seen kids playing with fireworks causing fires.

“Recently we had a case in which someone had recorded two young kids starting a fire on a hill,” he said.

It is important for residents and community members to keep a watchful eye for any potential fire dangers. It is not just about prosecuting those who use fireworks illegally or homeless people who set up camps in the area; it is about keeping neighborhoods safe, he added.

  Mary Okeefe