Man arrested for setting his house on fire in Orcutt

June 4, 2024

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man for intentionally setting his house on fire in Orcutt on Monday. 

Shortly after 11 a.m., a witness reported a man was breaking out the windows of a home in the 1400 block of Genoa Way. When deputies arrived, they noticed smoke coming from the house and called for firefighters to respond, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

While firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, deputies evacuated homes in the immediate area and temporarily closed the roadway. Deputies learned the resident, 52-year-old Rockie Ginter, had intentionally set his home on fire.

Additional deputies detained and later arrested Ginter for arson and vandalism. Authorities booked Ginter in the Northern Branch Jail.

No one reported injuries as a result of the fire. Ginter’s house was the only home damaged by the blaze.

Separately, the occupant of a San Miguel home allegedly set his house on fire on Monday, as well, in what is believed to have been a suicide attempt.