CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire) and California Highway Patrol (CHP) arrested Russell Gillett, a suspect charged with setting a vegetation fire in grass on west bound Interstate 80 near Madison Avenue Saturday evening.  The fire burned an area approximately 200 feet by 50 feet along the highway, in addition to vegetation and trees in residential properties that abut the highway.  A section of fence was also damaged.

At 6:35 pm on August 1, 2020 Metro Fire was dispatched to a grass fire on west bound I-80 east of Madison Avenue.  The CHP received witness reports that a subject was seen a few feet from the fire, and then fled the area after the fire began.  A second witness was able to provide detailed information to the CHP about the whereabouts of the suspect, allowing him to be detained and subsequently arrested by a Metro Fire Arson Investigator and CHP units.

Russell Gillett was charged with the following felonies in accordance with California Penal Code 451 (c) and (d) for arson of a structure or forest land and arson of property, respectively, and booked into the Sacramento County Jail.   Additional charges for possession of narcotics and specific non-narcotics (HS11377) and possession of unlawful paraphernalia (HA11364) were also filed.  Gillett is being held on $75,000 bail.  The booking photo is attached.

Metro Fire appreciates the strong coordination and working relationship with all of our regional public safety partners, including the CHP which led to the arrest of Mr. Gillett.  We also thank the community for their assistance in reporting the fire and providing suspect information. This helps us provide our priority of public safety service delivery.  

We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone we are in the height of wildfire season and to be ready for wildfire.  Visit www.readyforwildfire.org for more information on how to prepare your family and home in the event of wildfire in your community.

If you have information about the cause of any fire within Metro Fire’s jurisdiction, please contact Metro Fire’s Arson Tip Line at (916) 859-3775 or at [email protected].

Forged from a long line of tradition, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire) provides professional and compassionate protection, education and service to all-risk emergency hazards and incidents. The District was formed in 2000 through the final consolidation of 16 predecessor departments in the Sacramento region. The combined District now consists of approximately 700 employees and serves an area encompassing 358 square miles to over 738,000 citizens including Sacramento and Placer counties. Metro Fire is the seventh largest fire agency in the State of California.