Homeless man arrested after suspected Petaluma arson attempt

A homeless man was arrested Monday afternoon after Petaluma police officers allegedly caught him trying to set a redwood tree on fire in a homeless camp.

While searching for encampments in the area of Lynch Creek Trail near Highway 101 around 2:15 p.m., homeless outreach services team officers found a man holding an open flame from a butane torch to the base of a redwood tree, police said in a news release.

Burn marks were visible about 10 feet up the tree’s trunk, leading officers to believe it had already been set on fire, police said.

The man, later identified as 40-year-old Christopher Ketzler, was arrested on suspicion of arson of forest land and booked into Sonoma County Jail. He’s being held in lieu of a $10,000 bail, according to jail records.

In 2015, the police department was awarded a $500,000 CalRecycle grant to fund a full-time officer to abate and clean up homeless encampments, which pose public health and safety risks.

To report an illegal encampment, contact Officers Ryan DeBaeke and Zilverio Rivera at 707-778-4455, or by email at rdebaeke@ci.petaluma.ca.us or zrivera@ci.petaluma.ca.us.