Arson Investigation Squatter Arrested

CONCORD, Calif. —

A squatter was arrested Sunday for allegedly starting a fire inside an apartment building he was illegally occupying in Concord.

The fire broke out around noon Sunday in a four-unit building and authorities said it was intentionally set in a ground floor unit where a homeless man had been staying.

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Concord police arrested 32-year-old transient Michael Moss late Sunday near the charred apartment where he had been living.

The building had been in foreclosure and was vacant for several months, apart from squatters living inside.

The arson investigator wouldn’t say what motive the suspect would have for burning the building where he was staying.

Tenants living in the adjacent building said ever since the building was vacated and boarded up, people have been breaking in and living there.

Some were former tenants who were evicted with the foreclosure.

“They’re all on drugs, and they all kept going over there,” said Liz Lintz, a neighbor. “This place is bad for that. They are all ‘tweakin’, and there’s a lot of stuff going on around here.”

Neighboring streets have watched with frustration as the foreclosed building became a flop house.

“When you have kids, and you know, squatters bring in degenerate type people who do drugs or drink too much,” said Christine Purzyeki, another neighbor.

The fire did put an end to people squatting, but as neighbors said, it’s a widespread problem.

“It’s constant and it’s all over the county,” Purzyeki said.

The former tenants who moved back in not only tore plywood down to get in, but brought a bed and a couch. After power was cut, they burned candles, according to the investigator, and used dinner rolls as candle holders.

Firefighters said it’s not uncommon to see fires started by squatters staying in vacant homes.

Investigators said at least three June fires, one in Martinez, one in Vallejo and another in Oakland, were likely started by squatters living in foreclosed or vacant homes.

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