Police Looking For Transient In Arson Incident Near Los Gatos School District Warehouse

Police are on the lookout for a transient who may have set a small leaf pile on fire the evening of Sept. 19 near the Los Gatos Union School District warehouse building at 17020 Roberts Rd.

According to Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police Sgt. spokesman Stephen Walpole, an arson investigator reported the incident took place after 10 p.m. near the fence line on Blossom Hill Road, near the LGUSD facility.

"It was believed by the arson investigator that the fire was most likely made by a transient as a warming fire to warm up and/or cook a meal as sticks were laid over the burning leaves," Sgt. Walpole said.

The burn area was 5-foot by 7-foot and no suspects were seen during the investigation, Walpole said.

The crime is not considered vandalism because the only thing burned were leaves, he added.The penalty for this type of crime is a felony with $100,000 fine, Walpole noted.

It's not known what kind of lighter was used to ignite the fire and the worse case scenario for this type of crime would have been if the hillside and warehouse would have caught fire if left unchecked, Walpole added.