A man has been arrested after allegedly setting a fire that threatened a restaurant in Nelson’s Railtown last week.
The Nelson Police Department said officers received multiple 911 calls around 11 p.m. Apr. 24 reporting a fire near the intersection of Baker and Railway streets.
Police said bushes along the front of a restaurant were fully engulfed in flames, which reached about 30 feet high and threatened the front of the property.
Officers tried to put out the fire with extinguishers but it was too big to control.
Nelson Fire Rescue crews arrived and put out the fire before it could spread further.
Police said witnesses reported that an adult man allegedly used a torch to ignite the grass and bushes before fleeing the area.
The man was later found by police hiding inside a nearby home. He was subsequently arrested for arson.
No injuries were reported.
Police said no further information will be released, as the matter is now before the courts.
“The Nelson Police Department would like to thank Nelson Fire and Rescue for their quick response and professionalism in preventing further damage to the property and surrounding area,” the department said in a statement.
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