Clayton man ­arrested for arson

A string of nighttime grassfires along the Cardinet trail in Clayton last month rattled nerves and resulted in the arrest of a Clayton man on charges of arson.

Isaiah Javier Ortiz, 21, was arrested for setting four fires behind the homes along the walking trail during late September. The last fire was Sept. 29 and Ortiz was arrested Oct. 1. Each fire was set in the height of the fire season in dry grass and brush and very near homes.

“These crimes put our community at considerable risk at the height of the fire season,” said Lewis T. Broschard III, Fire Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

With the aid of the Clayton Police Department, CCCFPD investigators were able to develop leads and locate witnesses, ultimately resulting in Ortiz’s arrest.

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