Danville police are looking for a man seen fleeing the area of 376 Linda Mesa Ave. after a home in the area was set on fire at 8:21 p.m. Saturday night.
A second alarm was called shortly after San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District firefighters arrived on the scene, finding the residence fully engulfed and burning through to the roof of the single-story structure.
Witnesses in the area at the time reported seeing a man throw something at the residence and then flee the area in a blue Ford F150 pickup truck leaving the area at a high rate of speed. Police were reportedly following up on an identification given them by a bystander.
NEWS24-680 has learned that the home in question had been the subject of a civic abatement issue in the past and that the occupants have had contacts with local police since the abatement – focusing on some 30 vehicles and other items stored at the home – was effected.
The vehicles’ owner, Frank Howard, appealed that decision to the Town Council at the time, arguing that he could not comply with the order due to the death of his mother, a fire at his second home, and financial problems.
SRVFPD Deputy Fire Marshall David Stevens said damage to the home was estimated at $210,000. Stevens said the home was determined to be empty at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.
The location of the residence, on a leafy side street and in close proximity to other homes in the area, forced police and firefighters to consider implementing an evacuation order for neighbors.
A search for the suspected arsonist, who reportedly has ties to Danville, is underway.
Drug house???
I hope everyone is okay. A friend of mine lives in that neighborhood. Isn’t 376 Linda Mesa Ave. the residence that had a problem with abandon vehicles, etc.? I hope they catch the guy.
No injuries that we have been able to determine. The home and vehicles associated with the property have been the subject of an abatement order by the town. It has led to some contention between the owners and civic officials in the past.
This was the house with all the cars?
Thats big news for little Danville.
News 24/680-Thank you. I’m glad no one was injured. The history related to the property is bizarre.
Why does everybody keep saying abandoned vehicles?
do they not no the English language to know abandon means they’ve been left behind nobody wants them? these men wanted their cars and collected old cars to fix up. I don’t know who owns the black Hawk Museum with all those cars but this is just one place where he stores and shows his cars. he’s found a way to have all these cars and have people think it’s a good thing .
do you have any idea how many cars this man has that are not totally repaired? so why do these people get put down for wanting to collect old cars, save them and eventually repair them? are we all jealous that they’re retired and they could do this? if they wanted their cars, why not offer a solution of screening them behind a fence instead of throwing them away? why do people say they have things stored in their house? are your beds couches dishes stored in your house? people need to turn around and take a look at themselves and see how easily they can be criticized by others for the lifestyle that they choose to live .
what was that thing do unto others as you would have them do unto you. these men suffered the loss of a loving mother they lived with. suffered the loss of their home they grew up in and have been persecuted because they like to collect things.
oh my goodness could be worse. they could be killers wouldn’t that be awful they could be pedophiles live in your neighborhood wouldn’t that be awful they could actually be destructive to other people’s properties wouldn’t that be awful? let them do their own thing on their own property if you don’t like it ask him to screen it. who is anybody to criticize anybody else on how they live? if it’s not harming you just because you don’t like a look I’m sure there’s many people out there that you don’t like how they look how they dress the cars they drive the acne on their face oh my God. these are kind-hearted men with a kind-hearted mother who brought many babies into the world. what’s worse there’s an arsonist out there that hasn’t been caught and he’s in your town and nobody seems to care about that.
that’s alarming and what’s more alarming is that our police department is doing nothing about it. Reality is they don’t have the skill and are obviously not competent and need training to protect us. And maybe Too Proud to hire an outside arson investigator if they don’t have the skill Our police are good at giving tickets and having four police cars for one driving arrest therefore having all the Manpower in one location so any people who do not want to do something good know the police are occupied in one place so can break into cars or Rob homes while the police are busy they all have cell phones and can keep watch
everybody knows what I’m saying how many times have you seen 3 or 4 police cars on one traffic stop and that’s all the police department has to do at that moment you’ve all seen it
how would you like to be in their shoes know that there’s somebody out there that set your house on fire and nobody is doing anything about it because just because they don’t like you