The suspicious fires in Sacramento State’s Mendocino and Mariposa halls on Oct. 13 are still under investigation, said CAL Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant.

“We still haven’t pinpointed how the fires were started and we are looking into it,” Berlant said.

A total of three fires were set on campus two weeks ago Thursday, where in addition to the two building fires, there was also a trash can set on fire near the tennis courts. All three fires were promptly extinguished.

“CAL Fire’s goal is to find any clues that can tell us the origin and cause of the fire,” Berlant said.

The three fires were reported within minutes of each other, adding to the speculation that it could have been arson.

“Until CAL Fire’s investigation is completed, the case can only be termed ‘suspicious,'” said Sacramento State Police spokesman Lt. Scott Christian.

“We work backwards by eliminating ways the fires were started and coming down to few possibilities to choose from,” Berlant said. “Anytime there are multiple fires in one location, it looks suspicious, but that doesn’t mean we are only looking for clues of arson. We look at all possibilities of how the fires were caused in the first place.”

University Police said it has made a strong presence on campus since the fires to ensure safety in the community in case there was another fire. It also starts the process of gathering witnesses’ information to find out what happened.

“CAL Fire investigators specialize in fire investigations,” Christian said. “Our department assists their investigators in any aspects of the case that is related to the fire, but does not require any specialty training in fire investigations.”

Police are asking students who have any information on the fires or how they started to call 916- 278-TIPS (8477), all calls will remain anonymous.

“CAL Fire and the campus police department work hand in hand,” Berlant said. “We focus on gathering information on how it started, and they talk with witnesses and find out if it could have been a possible arson.”

CAL Fire is continuously working on finding answers to how the fires were started.

“We are still gathering as much information and clues as we can on how the fires were started,” Berlant said.

University Police officials said they have no time table for when the investigation will be completed.

“Completion of the case would be dependent upon the investigator’s case load, any kinds of analysis they may be doing, plus any other type of follow up they need to do to complete the investigation,” Christian said.

CAL Fire has no way to tell how much longer it will take them to determine the cause of the fires.

“Fire investigations can take from a couple hours to even a couple years, so it is almost impossible to guess when the investigation will come to an end, but we are working diligently to make it as quick as possible,” Berlant said.

The State Hornet will update this story as more information becomes available. Check www.statehornet.com for updates about the story during the week.

Russell Preston can be reached at [email protected]