Fairfield Detectives Arrest 25-year-old Fairfield Resident, Donald Bowman-Banks for Serial Arson

“Fairfield police recently investigated multiple dumpster fires in the area of Executive Ct and Gateway Blvd. After a thorough investigation and review of camera footage, a vehicle and suspect, Donald Arthur Bowman-Banks, a 25-year-old Fairfield resident was identified. Donald admitted to not only those three fires, but at least 30 other fires over the last year.

Fairfield Police Department is asking if in the past year you have had any suspicious fires, please contact the Fairfield Police Investigations Division at (707) 428-7600.

Here are a few helpful tips to prevent fires as we move into fire season:

• Keep leaves, firewood, overgrown brush and shrubbery and other combustibles away from buildings.

• Keep doors and windows locked when a building is unoccupied. Board up abandoned buildings. Do not use double cylinder deadbolt locks without keeping a key nearby, bars without quick release mechanisms, or other security provisions that could trap a person in a building with a deadly fire.

• Store all flammable liquids such as; paints, gasoline, and mowers in an approved storage location: locked cabinets, locked storage units, and locked garages (prevent access to kids). Also, keep away from heat sources such as furnaces and any type of heaters.

• Report suspicious activity near houses or other buildings to the local police and support Neighborhood Watch programs.

• If you suspect a child is setting fires, notify the proper authorities. It may not be “just a phase” they are going through. Keep matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight of young children.

• If you know or suspect that an arson crime has been committed, contact your local fire or police department.”