Sedona police arrested a man suspected of starting a pair of small fires in Uptown during the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 18.
According to Sedona Police Department Lt. Lucas Wilcoxson, an officer was driving in Uptown when he noticed fires burning on both sides of the roadway along State Route 89A near the Brewer Road roundabout shortly after midnight on Sunday.
“It was very fortunate that an officer was out patrolling when he came across 30-foot flames on both sides of the roadway,” Wilcoxson said. “If the officer did not come across the fires, it would have spread very quickly and caused a lot of damage.”
The officer tried to put the fire out using the patrol unit’s fire extinguisher, but by that time the fire was too large, and he contacted the Sedona Fire District, Wilcoxson said.
The roadway in that area was completely closed for about 30 minutes because the SFD hoses were laying across the roadway as they fought the fire on both sides. While crews were putting the fire out, a motorist reported a man acting strange and laying on the sidewalk up the road.
Officers from SPD and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office responded and contacted Joseph Michael Kennedy, a transient with no current address, who had fallen near the scene and suffered a broken arm.
“There was a Bic lighter at his feet and he admitted to starting the fires with the lighter because no one was coming to pick him up,” Wilcoxson said. “It appeared that the suspect was attempting to run up a hill to avoid being found, when he slipped and fell causing him to break his arm to the point he was unable to hide from the police, SFD transported Kennedy to Verde Valley Medical Center for medical treatment. Arson charges have been forwarded to the Coconino County Attorney’s Office.
According to Fire Marshal Jon Davis, the fires burned along the ditches on both sides of the road and totaled approximately one-eighth of an acre. No buildings were threatened.
