Woman flees home with baby after spotting flames; arson suspected

A woman was enjoying a quiet Monday afternoon, watching television after putting her baby down for a nap, when she saw black smoke rising from her back door. She grabbed her child and ran outside her home – a unit in Linda Cottages in the 5000 block of Lindhurst Avenue.

A neighbor from the complex tried to help put out the flames.

The Olivehurst Fire Department and the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene at about noon and managed to extinguish the blaze from under the woman’s porch. Afterward, fire crews went in to investigate what triggered the fire.

“This is potentially an arson,” said Capt. Randy York of the Olivehurst Fire Department. “There’s no electrical problems, or any other reasons as to why a fire would start back here. We believe this was intentional.”

The fire started underneath the porch that leads to the home’s back door, but it’s not yet clear what caused it, York said.

Whatever flammable substance or object was used to start the fire, law enforcement initially believes it was intentionally thrown under the porch – and so does the resident.

To protect the integrity of the investigation, the name of the victim is being withheld.

“We have an idea of who may have done it, and I’m not too thrilled,” the home’s occupant said. “I’m just grateful for my neighbors; everybody keeps an eye out for each other.”

The flames didn’t cause any damage to the inside of the structure, but the fire department will have to determine whether it’s safe for the resident to move back in.

The fire department will work to determine who and what may have set the fire.