Two arrested on 21 counts of arson in suspicious Healdsburg fires

HEALDSBURG -- Two suspects have been charged with 21 counts of arson for a series of suspicious fires in the Healdsburg area last year.

Estevan Miranda-Silva, 23, and Gabriel Gonzalez-Flores, 19, both Healdsburg residents, were taken into custody on Tuesday.  Both men were booked into Sonoma County Jail with bail set at $1 million apiece.

The charges are connected to several blazes that ignited on the night of Sept. 6, 2021. The fires -- more than 10 small blazes in number -- kept Sonoma County fire crews busy as they erupted in a 2 1/2-hour span.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported that seven fires were extinguished along a stretch of Mill Creek Road and three others were put out on Lytton Springs Road.

But thanks to the quick work of fire crews, the largest blaze was contained at 2 acres off Chiquita Road. Fortunately, no structures were damage nor anyone injured in any of the fires.

The response to all of the fires that night included 80 fire crews, 20 fire engines, six water tenders and three bulldozers.

When Miranda-Silva was arrested Tuesday, authorities also found an unregistered "ghost gun" in the vehicle he was driving.