Police arrested a 16-year-old juvenile last night for setting a fire early Sunday morning that severely damaged two classrooms at Cubberley Community Center. There were no injuries caused by the fire.
On Sunday, April 30, 2023, at about 12:01 a.m., personnel from the Palo Alto Fire Department responded to the Cubberley Community Center at 4000 Middlefield Road on a reported fire alarm. Crews performed an area check but did not locate any fire. At 12:53 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a report from a passerby of smoke seen and smelled at the community center. The Fire Department returned and found a fire burning in the B-wing. Crews contained the fire, and police and fire personnel launched a joint arson investigation.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the fire had been set immediately adjacent to two classrooms operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District for post-secondary education classes. The fire then spread and severely damaged the classrooms. Details on the precise cause and origin of the blaze remain under ongoing investigation.
Police and fire investigators worked in close collaboration with school district officials to attempt to identify the person responsible. On Monday, May 1, that investigation led to the identification of a 16-year-old male Palo Alto resident as the suspect. Officers arrested the juvenile for arson (a felony) at about 9:04 p.m. at Greer Park at 1098 Amarillo Avenue. Police transported the suspect to the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. In accordance with our standard release of information procedures, no additional information on the suspect is available since he is under the age of 18.
Detectives believe the same suspect is responsible for lighting a small fire on a picnic table at about 3:30 a.m. later that same morning at Ohlone Elementary School at 950 Amarillo Avenue. That fire was discovered later in the morning after it had burned itself out without causing extensive damage.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
