Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire that caused significant damage at a construction site on the UCSB campus early Sunday. A $5,000 reward has been offered for information.
UCSB police officials said dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call around 2:15 a.m. Sunday reporting the fire at the north campus faculty housing construction site on Phelps Road near Cannon Green Drive in Goleta.
Santa Barbara County firefighters, UCSB police officers and sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene, where they found an unoccupied camper-trailer, a water tender and other heavy construction equipment heavily damaged by flames.
Investigators — including UC fire marshals, county fire investigators, CAL-FIRE authorities and UCSB police detectives — determined the cause of the blaze to be arson.
A damage figure has not been estimated and the investigation is continuing. No injuries were reported.
A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of a suspect or suspects in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact UCSB police Detective Mitch Molitor at 805.893.3446 or 805.319.0004.
Since mid-November, the Sheriff’s Department’s Isla Vista Foot Patrol Station, 6504 Trigo Road, has twice been attacked by firebombs. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Ellwood neighborhoods west of Sunday’s blaze have repeatedly been targeted in night-time arson attacks over the last several years. No serious injuries have been reported in the attacks, which appear to aimed at vehicles parked in carports. The attacks have caused significant damage to property, however.
— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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