Police say Auburn homeless man started fire in camp near train tracks

A man was arrested in Auburn on suspicion of arson for allegedly starting a fire near his illegal homeless encampment Thursday, Auburn police said.

Police and firefighters responded to a scene in a remote area off Auburn Folsom Road, near Brentwood Circle, where a caller reported smelling smoke and then seeing a civilian attempting to put out a fire just before 11 a.m., according to a news release by the Auburn Police Department.

Auburn police arrested Bill Russell Valdez, a 59-year-old Auburn transient man, on suspicion of arson for allegedly starting the fire. In the same location, officers located an illegal camp apparently set up by Valdez in a dry brush area underneath trees, according to the news release.

The camp was set up near train tracks, which run along Auburn Folsom Road as well as Interstate 80 in the Auburn area.

Valdez was booked into the Placer County jail and is being held on $150,000 bail.