A suspected arsonist was arrested Saturday for allegedly trying to set a North Park medical building on fire, San Diego Fire-Rescue investigators said.
Part of the building, on the corner of 30th and Meade, was charred after flames raced up the side early Saturday morning just after 4 a.m.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire before it engulfed the entire building. A nearby car was also damaged.
Philip B., a neighbor who called 911, says he saw someone pouring something onto the fire to make it bigger.
"He was kind of hunched over, kind of feeding the fire. As he was feeding it it got bigger and bigger and bigger, so this fool didn't leave til it was completely burned to the top. He was enjoying it and sometimes that’s what arsonists do,” Philip B. said.
Officers caught the suspect, identified as Stephan Romana, 34, a short time later down the Street.
The investigation is ongoing.
