Police credited a passer-by with reporting the blaze, which firefighters quickly extinguished.

A police officer with a dog tracked Dwayne A. Kuse, 46, into the woods where he was arrested after the dog bit him.

There have been at least 16 burglaries in 10 days in a repeat of last summer’s spree, which may be solved soon with the help of recent DNA results, police chief Tom Gould said.

Bradford Christopher is free on bail.

Mercier, of Industry, who was found guilty of Rita St. Peter’s 1980 Anson murder, has exhausted all appeals and with his newly appointed third attorney is seeking a post-conviction review.