Merced man, 20, arrested after fires are set along Highway 99 and West 16th Street

A 20-year-old Merced man was arrested on suspicion of arson after several grass fires broke out Saturday morning in the city, according to police.

Merced City firefighters battled fires simultaneously along West 16th Street and Highway 99. While firefighters were fighting those blazes, the suspect continued lighting fires until being chased away by another person, according to police.

Officers arrived and spoke to the witness, who was actively looking for the suspect. The witness told police he had been chasing a man later identified at Victor Guerrero, 20, of Merced.

The witness lost track of Guerrero around the Quality Inn Motel on Motel Drive.

With the help of Quality Inn employees, Merced officers found the man in a motel room. The witness positively identified Guerrero as the suspect, police said.

Guerrero was booked at the Merced County Jail. on suspicion of arson. His bond is set at $75,000, according to jail records.

Merced police are asking anyone with any information to contact Officer Rudy Hernandez at 209-388-7784 or hernandezr@cityofmerced.org.