Police say homeless man attempted to start gas station fire

A San Luis Obispo man was sitting in County Jail on minor charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and misuse of 911 when investigators linked him to a fire they say was intentionally set at a local gas station.

Officers were called out to the Shell station on the 200 block of Madonna Road about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to investigate a possible arson. They allegedly found evidence of someone starting a small fire next to one of the gas pumps some hours before.

That fire didn’t cause any damage and burned out on its own, according to a department news release.

The Police Department circulated surveillance footage taken of a man starting the fire. An officer familiar with Daniel Francisco Delgado II, a 28-year-old homeless man, recognized Delgado from contacting him in the area prior to the fire.

Delgado was already in custody at the County Jail on unrelated charges after being arrested a couple hours after the fire was set. Police will recommend an additional felony arson charge be filed by the District Attorney’s Office.

Delgado remained in custody as of Thursday evening in lieu of $27,000 bail.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Police say homeless man attempted to start gas station fire."