Woman arrested for vegetation fire that damaged commercial property in Merced, police say

A Merced woman who admitted to starting a vegetation fire that damaged a local business has been arrested, police said.

The owner of Central Valley Concrete & Trucking estimated property damage costing more than $240,000, police Lt. Joe Weiss said.

There were no injuries reported.

The fire was set in the area of East Childs Avenue and Brantley Street about 10 a.m. Wednesday, Weiss said.

Officers found Lisa Marie Rush, 44, in the area. She initially told police the fire was an accident, but ultimately confessed to purposely starting the fire, Weiss said. She did not give a reason.

Rush was arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail on a charge of arson.

This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 11:52 AM.