Arson at Gathering Inn in Roseville forces homeless center to relocate; arrest made

A man suspected of arson was arrested Monday following a fire Sunday at the Gathering Inn in Roseville,a facility that serves the homeless in Placer County.

An investigation led to the identification of the 34-year-old through physical evidence, surveillance footage and witness statements. The suspect was booked into South Placer Jail at 10 a.m. Monday morning, Roseville Police Department Lt. Chris Ciampa said.

According to firefighters, the blaze broke out on the 200 block of Berkeley Avenue just after 11 p.m. Sunday. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a side of the building where offices and a laundry room were located. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, keeping flames from spreading to other parts of the building.

There were no injuries reported, firefighters said.

Because of the fire, utilities to the building had to be shut off, leaving the Gathering Inn to find a new spot to carry out services.

“The Gathering Inn is currently working with local faith organizations on a temporary location for patrons of the facility to utilize during their daytime program hours,” firefighters said in a social media post.

The Gathering Inn serves roughly 300 individuals in the Placer County region daily while providing shelter and programs aimed at finding them sustainable housing. The organization recently announced a medical respite program that is turning a former assisted living facility in Lincoln into a place where ill or injured unhoused people can go after getting medical treatment at a hospital.