Suspect in Christmas Day fire at former InCahoots bar arrested: police

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of arson in the Christmas Day fire at the abandoned InCahoots Dance Hall & Saloon in Mission Valley, San Diego police said Thursday.

Investigators identified the suspect in the fire as 47-year-old Joel Humphrey. He is not believed to have been connected to an earlier fire at the former country dance club back in October, according to SDPD.

Authorities had previously described both fire as "suspicious," but did not clearly call it a suspected act of arson until the announcement Thursday.

The first fire occurred at the long-empty building at 5373 Mission Center Rd. on Oct. 26. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews responded to the former dance hall around 1:40 a.m. and an hours-long fight to extinguish the flames ensued.

The second also occurred in the early morning hours of Christmas Day. More than 50 firefighters and other personnel were on scene to combat the blaze, which had fully engulfed the structure.

When crews fully doused the fire, not much of the building was left aside from the charred frame of the building.

The origin of both fires remains unclear, as well as the motive of the suspect in the second incident.

Humphrey faces a potential charge of recklessly setting fire to a structure in the Dec. 25 incident. He is set to appear in court for an arraignment on Friday, Jan. 3.

An investigation by SDPD into the first fire at the former InCahoots bar remains ongoing. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Metro Arson Strike Team at 619-236-6815 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.