BERKELEY — An investigation into a suspected arson fire last weekend at the Berkeley Animal Shelter ended Thursday in the arrest of a 48-year-old man, police said.
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The blaze broke out around 10:10 p.m. on June 6 at the facility on Bolivar Drive, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Investigators determined that the suspect used a rock to break a window at the animal shelter and then set the fire using an “improvised incendiary device,” police said.
Police said the suspect was later identified after he returned to the scene.
On Thursday, officers found the suspect in downtown Berkeley and arrested him on suspicion of arson and cruelty to animals, police said. He was booked into the Santa Rita Jail.
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The man is being held on $670,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, according to jail records.
No animals or people were injured in the fire. The animal shelter, however, was damaged and is expected to remain closed for at least three weeks and possibly longer.
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