Police arrest man for suspected arson after brush fire breaks out near Hwy 78

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Police arrested a man for suspected arson after a small brush fire broke out Monday afternoon close to Highway 78 in northern San Diego County, closing two lanes of the freeway for around two hours.

Firefighters responded to a 1/4-acre brush fire -- dubbed the Nissan Fire -- that broke out just before 2 p.m. Monday close to Hwy 78 near Haymar Drive and Luiseño Way near College Boulevard in Oceanside, according to Watch Duty.

The Vista Fire Department said the forward progress was stopped before the fire hit the nearby freeway. A second fire also ignited nearby that had to be extinguished by firefighters.

In an update later Monday, authorities confirmed officers were searching for a suspected arsonist in the nearby area who was believed to have started the fires.

The police department said officers believed the fires were intentionally set, and requested a drone and ASTREA to assist in searching for the suspect.

Monday night, the Oceanside Police Department reported officers arrested the suspect near El Camino Real and the eastbound Highway 78 on-ramp, who is facing charges for suspected arson.

Officers with the Oceanside Fire Department closed several eastbound lanes on Hwy 78 Monday afternoon while firefighters worked to douse the brush fire. Caltrans reported the number two and three lanes of eastbound 78 were closed for firefighting activity.

All lanes were reopened to traffic by 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, Caltrans said in an update. Check real-time traffic at traffic.511sd.com.

Both fires were quickly contained by Oceanside Fire. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were required.

Check back for updates on this developing story