A string of suspicious fires across Santa Maria, some still unsolved, has residents on edge, but city officials are taking action.
The Santa Maria Fire Department has launched a new 24-hour fire investigation program, a long-anticipated upgrade to public safety aimed at bringing peace of mind to neighborhoods like the Summergate Apartments, where one of the most recent fires forced residents to evacuate in the middle of the night.
For Víctor Manuel Aguilar, who’s lived in Santa Maria for 30 years and has called Summergate home for the last 10, the damage wasn’t just emotional, it was personal.
“Yes, one of my vehicles also caught on fire again,” Aguilar said, recalling how he was jolted awake just after 1 a.m. “They warned me from inside the house. They shouted that the truck was on fire. I ran out, but by the time I got there, it was already fully engulfed in flames,” he explained in Spanish.
Aguilar’s vehicle wasn’t the only one destroyed in the blaze. Flames quickly spread, forcing families out of their homes in the early morning hours.
“About half an hour later, fires started on the other side, and then the police began evacuating everyone. We were scared, especially because a lot of us who live here are hardworking families,” Aguilar said.
Despite the severity of the incident, no arrests have been made. Aguilar says that uncertainty weighs on his community every night.
“Honestly, it makes us feel unsafe, because we don’t know if someone is going to come back. And not just here, but in other areas where people could be hurt. You go to sleep afraid, not knowing if someone is going to light up your home or another car,” he said.
The fire at Summergate was just one of several recent blazes that prompted the city to accelerate its rollout of a 24/7 fire investigation unit, a system now officially in place as of June 28.
“On June 28th at 8 a.m., we initiated an on-call fire investigator program,” said Jim Austin, Santa Maria’s Fire Marshal. “That means we have an investigator available and able to respond 24/7, 365 days a year.”
The idea had been in discussion for decades, but it took a recent fire risk assessment, union negotiations, and persistent advocacy to make it a reality.
“This is a program that the department has wanted to initiate for a number of years, maybe even decades,” Austin said. “But a community risk assessment identified it as a gap, and through collaboration with Local 2020 and city administrators, we were able to include it in our latest labor agreement.”
Now, instead of relying on investigators to respond only when available, the department has three rotating personnel on standby each week, supported by Austin himself, who brings more than 30 years of experience in the field.
“Previously, if the fire marshal wasn’t available, another investigator might be called in, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Now, there’s no question,” said Fire Inspector Francisco Santos.
“There is always someone designated and ready to respond, just like with utilities or police detectives," he said.
This guaranteed coverage, officials say, isn’t just about having someone show up. It’s about showing up in time to gather the evidence that matters the most, before it disappears.
“The main advantage is being able to capture information that might get lost if hours go by,” Santos said. “Now we can respond while the scene is still fresh.”
That matters especially for fires that happen in the middle of the night, a pattern investigators are seeing more often.
“A lot of the activity occurs from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., especially nuisance fires like dumpster fires,” Santos said. “Before, we had to investigate hours later. Now, we’re there almost immediately.”
Santos added that the overnight shift also opens the door to more collaboration with police, property owners, and other departments to determine whether a fire was accidental or criminal.
“If there’s a fire that requires a cause and origin investigation, they now call us directly. We assess and, if needed, call in more resources,” he said.
Not just anyone can fill that role. Fire Marshal Austin explained that the position requires extensive training, including five specialized courses and field experience on at least 20 fire cases, 10 of which must involve structural damage.
“They must complete courses in wildland investigation and behavioral analysis for interrogations and interviews,” Austin explained.
Once investigators meet those requirements, they complete a state fire marshal task book, participate in court testimony, and pass off key skills like evidence handling. Only then can they be certified.
Austin says Santa Maria currently has three qualified investigators, with one fully certified and two nearing completion. A fourth inspector is currently undergoing training.
“As the city continues to grow, our hope is to bring more inspectors into the bureau and expand this rotation,” Santos added.
The timing of the program’s launch comes amid heightened concern from residents and city officials alike.
In addition to the Summergate fire, the department is investigating a series of other incidents, including:
- A warehouse fire at 714 S. Blosser Road
- A pallet fire behind 1021 S. Blosser Road (confirmed arson; one arrest made)
- Fires at the La Vista Apartments and on West Lolita Place (still under investigation)
“At this point, we potentially have a serial arsonist in our city or we have multiple arsons,” Austin said. “The Summergate fire is being investigated as arson. So is West Lolita. La Vista is still considered suspicious.”
The department is working closely with the Santa Maria Police Department and the District Attorney’s arson task force to determine whether the cases are linked.
For residents like Aguilar, knowing someone is now on-call every night offers more than just reassurance.
“That’s a good thing. It makes you feel a little safer knowing there’s someone out there watching, someone keeping an eye out,” he said.
The fire department says the program also helps reduce wait times for fire crews. When investigators arrive, they can release engines back into service faster, freeing them to respond to the next emergency.
With Santa Maria ranking among the fastest-growing cities in California, Austin says these changes are not just beneficial but are needed.
“This is an increase in the level of service to better serve the citizens,” he said. “And it ensures that every incident gets a qualified investigation, right away.”
