Oceanside CA— On Tuesday, June 13, at approximately 1:15pm, Oceanside Police received a call to cover Oceanside Fire Department on a brush fire north of the Oceanside Golf Course at 825 Douglas Drive and bordering Camp Pendleton. More than one reporting party reported a suspicious subject running from the area of the fire up a hill in the area of Camp Pendleton.
This person later identified as Jose Antonio Torres was detained by Camp Pendleton officials from the Provost Marshalls Office (PMO) and the Naval Criminal Investigations Unit (NCIS). Torres was later placed in custody on a parole hold out of Los Angeles for a previous assault charge. After an extensive investigation by Oceanside Police and Fire Departments, Jose Antonio Torres 35, unknown address, was arrested on arson charges.

Fire Caused Heavy Drain on Resources

As the fire grew on Tuesday, Oceanside Fire requested OPD officers assistance with clearing the golf course where the fire had reached the perimeter. As the fire moved in an easterly direction, multiple OPD units responded to prepare for possible evacuations at the Pilgrim Creek Estates and surrounding neighborhoods. Heavy smoke was billowing over Douglas as dozens of fire vehicles from various departments responded to the area. The biggest drain on OPD resources was experienced when OFD requested the entire stretch of Douglas Drive from the back gate of Camp Pendleton to North River Road be shut down.
There were multiple helicopters and one fixed wing fire aircraft on scene. At one point, the air operations were forced to stop fighting the fire when a drone was spotted flying over the affected area. A Nixle Alert and PA announcements were conducted asking for cooperation regarding the drone which eventually left the area.