UPDATE: A suspect has been arrested in connection to Monday’s arsons that caused substantial damage to two houses, one Hartford and 18th streets and the other in the Castro. KQED reports David Munoz Diaz was arrested and booked on three felony charges after video evidence surfaced that indicated him in one of the fires.
Diaz had been incarcerated until last September for the 2011 involuntary manslaughter of a sexual partner, whom he apparently strangled and then set on fire. Diaz’ attorney maintained at the time that the man had asked to be choked, and that his death was unintentional.
The Public Defender’s office will likely defend Diaz in this case. Diaz has remained free since September despite a more than four-year sentence to state prison because of good conduct and time served.
Between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. today, a person lit four trashcans on fire on Hartford and 18th Streets and also set fire to the back of a pick up truck parked on 19th and Castro Streets.
Liz said she and her spouse were woken up at 4 a.m. by a loud pounding on the wall. She looked up and saw flames coming up to the second story of her three-story home on Hartford and 18th Streets.
“It’s a tight knit neighborhood,” she said. Her neighbors had already reported the fire to 911 and the Fire Department was on its way when she was woken up.
“We’ve had nothing but love from the neighbors, one of them knocked on the door and saved our lives,” she said. The first fire began in the trashcan in her driveway and then crept up to the second story window.
Liz, 51, has lived in the neighborhood for the past 20 years and has never had any major problems. The quiet block sometimes serves as a refuge for homeless people who sleep in the driveways, she said.
Across the street from her, at 52 Hartford Street, two trashcans were lit on fire. The owner, who refused to give his name, was cleaning the burnt debris from his driveway this morning. His tenants called him at around 5 a.m, but the SFFD was already there.
A block away on 19th and Castro, the belongings left in the back of a pick up truck were also set on fire.
Recently there has been a string of fires in the same area. It is not clear if the incidents are related.
The block has experienced a rash of arson in the past, said Rob Cox, who has lived on the block since 1991. Four years ago, he said, someone lit on fire a house that was under construction.
A neighborhood watch meeting has been planned for Sunday to discuss the fires as well as the newly instated Castro Cares program, which will bring at least 10 beat cops to patrol the streets, said Cox.
This is a developing story. We will update as we get more information.