The Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office has charged 19-year-old Panfilo Velasco Alvarez with felony arson after he allegedly started a vegetation fire near the Town Clock.
Following a rash of arson incidents, police arrested Velasco Alvarez, who reportedly confessed to igniting the fire to clear brush around his intended campsite.
The Santa Cruz Police and Fire Departments responded quickly, extinguishing a significant fire threatening nearby homes and apprehending a suspect covered in soot.
In an unrelated case, police arrested Gregorio Ayon, identified from security footage as the individual who set a hotel elevator fire using debris.
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