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MILLCREEK — A Millcreek man was arrested Monday after admitting to being responsible for a number of fires in the area.
Ben Sharer, a firefighter with the Unified Fire Department, said crews first responded to a shed fire in April. Two days later, crews responded to a vehicle fire at the same location.
"When they responded, they could tell that it was purposefully lit in the back seat of a car," Sharer said.
A third fire occurred June 4 at the same location, this time involving a home. Investigators were able to determine the cause of the fire and Shawn Christensen was arrested.
"The suspect was brought in to the police station, an interview was conducted and he admitted to lighting the fires himself," Sharer said.
Sharer said Christensen faces arson charges and currently it is unclear what his motivation was.
"At this point it is still under investigation," Sharer said. "We don't know why he lit the fires."
Sharer said it is typical of arsonists to escalate from one fire to another and investigators were happy to find a suspect quickly.
"Our investigation team was very excited to catch him early on before his behavior got very destructive," Sharer said. "This was particularly alarming because the behavior went from small to big very quickly."
Email:benwood@desnews.com
