Suspicious fires near USD

At least three fires set in Linda Vista and Morena neighborhoods Sunday night

Celina Tebor / Associate Editor / The USD Vista

The San Diego Police Department is investigating at least three suspicious fires in the neighborhoods of Linda Vista and Morena that occurred Sunday night. The fires occurred close to the University of San Diego in neighborhoods populated with USD students.

According to SDPD, the fires consisted of a dumpster fire, a trash can on fire next to a house, and a brush fire by a trolley station.

The fires occurred all within walking distance of each other and were all reported in a span of 19 minutes around 11 p.m.

The dumpster fire started on Eureka and Riley Streets, where many USD students reside.

Jeffrey and Francis Prosser are two residents in the Linda Vista neighborhood and witnessed the dumpster fire Sunday night.

Francis had taken her dog outside around 11 p.m. to use the bathroom, and noticed the fire.

“I was just looking to that way and just gazing and I saw the fire and I was like, that’s not supposed to be there,” Francis said. “I went in and told Jeff, and we both looked out the window, and he saw the fire and he called 911.”

Francis stayed outside for several minutes surveying the scene, but saw no one near the dumpster.

“It was a big fire,” Francis said. “The flames were huge, and there were way more cars (near the dumpster).”

The Prossers said the fire department arrived shortly after calling, and quickly put the fire out.

Senior Maya Ramirez witnessed the aftermath of the same dumpster fire the Prossers saw. She lives in the apartment complex where the dumpster was set on fire. At first, she thought she had only smelled burning food before realizing what had happened.

“My roommate told me she was heating up something in our toaster oven, so I went downstairs to make sure it wasn’t burning,” Ramirez said. “I looked and it was fine, and then two of my friends ran in my front door and told me there were firefighters here, and another one of my roommates ran down the stairs and said our dumpster was on fire. I looked in our parking lot and firefighters were hosing down our dumpster and telling people to stay back for their safety.”

Ramirez has worries about the dangers of and the intent behind the dumpster fire.

“At the time I thought it was hilarious because it seemed so ridiculous, but now it’s kind of scary hearing how many fires there were around Linda Vista,” Ramirez said. “Like, why our apartment?”

There were no injuries from the fires. The Metro Arson Strike Team was not available to verify whether the fires were started intentionally or whether they were connected.