The following is a press release issued by the Ukiah Police Department. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
On 9-25-2022 at approximately 9:41pm, the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority was dispatched to the area of 145 Porzio Lane in Ukiah for a report of a residence on fire that was fully engulfed in flames. UPD officers also responded and arrived in the area shortly before UVFA personnel. Officers observed a house whose façade was engulfed in flame.
UPD officers quickly evacuated residents in the immediate area and escorted them to safety as Ukiah Valley Fire arrived on scene and quickly extinguished the fire. The fire was contained to a single structure, with no other damage reported. The residence was found to be vacant.
UVFA Arson Investigator Chief Justin Buckingham arrived on scene and conducted an arson investigation. It was determined that the cause of the fire was suspicious in nature, and arson was suspected.
UPD officers and detectives conducted an investigation in this matter in an attempt to identify a suspect in the arson. After obtaining and reviewing surveillance from a nearby business, Sebastian Rabano, a Ukiah transient, was identified as the suspect in this incident.
Rabano was located on 9-28-2022 at 7:47 am by a UPD officer. Rabano was contacted and questioned regarding the incident and was subsequently placed under arrest for a felony violation of arson of a structure. Rabano was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he is being held on $25,000 bail.
Previous Coverage
