Investigations into a series of fires set near Mission Bay over the last several months continue, with few clues to connect the fires to one or more suspects, according to San Diego Fire and Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque.
About 100 palm trees and 75 portable restrooms have been set on fire since April in apparent acts of arson, Luque said.
“They are still open investigations. There have been no arrests,” he said. “There’s a suspicion they might be connected but we have no evidence that that’s the case.”
The fires have all occurred within a half-mile of each other around the 900 block of East Mission Bay Drive, he said.
In April, firefighters put out a total of about 74 palm trees set on fire during a string of fires on separate occasions along East Mission Bay Drive near the Hilton San Diego Resort.
The following month, on May 31, approximately 25 palm trees along southbound Interstate 5 at SeaWorld Drive where set on fire.
Fire officials are still investigating whether the palm tree fires are connected to the most recent act of arson near the same location. On July 6, firefighters rushed to extinguish 75 portable toilets stored near Interstate 5 and SeaWorld Drive that were set ablaze. A single palm tree fire was also set in Presidio Park that day, Luque said.
The portable toilets were being stored near the bay in anticipation of the large crowds that come to Mission Bay Park for the Fourth of July celebration.
As fire investigators consider all possible causes, Luque said the fires could be the result of individual acts of vandalism. He also said the area attracts transients to secluded parts of Mission Bay who may let illegal bonfires burn out of control.
“There’s not any kind of mad arsonist targeting Pacific Beach to burn it down, but there have been some random fires,” Luque said.
Over the past two years, there have been a number of random arson fires, mainly Dumpsters set on fire either by accident or as an act of vandalism, Luque said.
Between October 2005 through December 2005, several dozen palm trees, Dumpster and several vehicles, including an SUV, were set on fire during a string of arsons that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to local businesses.