By Gina Yarbrough
Lemon Grove, CA–A man was arrested Sunday afternoon on suspicion of setting a house on fire in Lemon Grove, authorities said.
The fire was reported around 3 p.m. at a residence in the 1500 block of Taft Street.
Sheriff’s deputies, Heartland Fire and Rescue crews, and other neighboring fire agencies responded to the scene of heavy smoke and flames coming out of the residence.
During the preliminary investigation, deputies located a man in the backyard of the home with a puncture wound to his right leg. A deputy applied a tourniquet to the victim’s leg and removed him to a safe location. The victim was taken to a hospital for further treatment, Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jason Phillips said in the department’s news release.
Deputies learned that 28-year-old Mario “Marina” Milton assaulted the victim and lit the house on fire with a torch. The Sheriff’s Bomb and Arson Unit was called in to assist with the investigation.
While fire crews were mopping up the fire, a dog was found deceased inside the home. The fire caused major damage to the garage and living room.
Milton was arrested on multiple charges, including arson, assault with a deadly weapon, and cruelty to animals.
