SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - San Diego police are searching for an arsonist after a series of fires were set around the East Village Thursday morning.
Several fires broke out, one right after the other, keeping firefighters on alert.
The calls first came in after 10 p.m. in the East Village area at J Street and Park Blvd.
About 15 minutes later, there was another call about a fire at 8th Street and Market, shortly after, flames were spotted at a third location in the 1100 block of Island Avenue.
This continued onto 14th and G streets where two more fires erupted near an Albertsons, where the fire burned right through a trash can. It was extinguished by a security guard.
The guard described first smelling something burning and when he came outside the trash can was on fire.
"I saw him lighting some type of match or lighter and he tried to light the trash can up. That's when he saw me and he ran away," he said.
He said he later saw the man he believes is the suspect, but only had a brief description of the suspect as an older man wearing a hoodie.
There was another fire, a mattress found engulfed in flames under the I-5 overpass, but it’s not clear if that was related.
Police did detain a suspect, but that person has since been released.
Anyone with information is asked to call police.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.