A man was arrested after setting multiple fires early Dec. 25 in Portland.
Andre Marcus Williams, 52, was arrested at 4:27 a.m., according to Multnomah County jail records. Williams was booked on charges including first-degree arson, second-degree arson, and reckless burning.
He was booked about 20 minutes later and is being held on $265,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday.
Portland Fire & Rescue investigators said in a press release that a suspect in a string of fires was arrested, without naming Williams, who was arrested in September for charges including reckless burning and assault of a police officer.
Williams was released on bail in that case, according to court records, even though prosecutors recommended he be held.
Investigators said the new batch of fires “were relatively easy for crews to handle but they appeared to be attempts at burning down both commercial buildings and occupied apartment buildings.” Investigators are working on establishing what happened in the early morning hours, between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, when the fires were set, but they’re confident the threat to residents is over.
The agency declined to share specific details regarding the ongoing investigation but disclosed the area in which the fires were set, which is Northwest 17th Ave to Northwest 23rd Ave and between Northwest Lovejoy St. to West Burnside St.
Anyone with information was asked to call a tipline at 503-823-4636.
