A 57-year-old transient was arrested Sunday evening and charged with arson after he allegedly set fire to grass in a field which threatened neighboring businesses.

The fire was reported at 8:16 p.m. Ceres firefighters quickly responded to put out the fire and had a suspect in custody. Tony Alichanh told firefighters and Officer Jessica Graham that he set the fire in the area of Hatch and Mitchell roads with his torch lighter because he wanted to “clean the place up.”

The fire consumed dead grass measuring about 10 feet by 10 feet along the north side of Hatch Road behind La Perla Tapatia. A search of Alichanh produced a torch lighter. He was booked into the Public Safety Center for arson.