Suspected arsonist accused of setting fires across San Jose

Firefighters on Friday morning were still at the scene of a vegetation fire that threatened homes in San Jose, and which they said was deliberately set. 

The fire had burned 90 acres and was 80 percent contained on Friday morning. 

Fire Capt. Brian Palodichuk called it arson and that a witness saw someone lighting fires on Colleen Drive in the Santa Teresa foothills about 6 p.m. on Thursday. 

"When units arrived, they found six separate fires two- to three-acres in size," he said. "It was discovered these fires were intentionally set."

Aerial footage shows how close the flames got to an entire neighborhood.

Cal Fire used tankers and helicopters, doing air drops.

Firefighters were seen staged outside of homes.

They say the neighborhood near the Golden Ridge Golf Course was threatened and residents had to be evacuated. But by Friday morning, the evacuation order has since been lifted.

One neighbor shot cell phone video of a plane dropping retardant on their street.

A resident told KTVU she took a quick trip to the grocery store and when she returned – she saw flames on the hills behind her home.

"As I started to drive by, you know. you start to see smoke and you can’t really gauge how close it is to your home," said Kristi Melani. "nad I kept thinking no it’s something further pulled in and saw right behind here this particular here and to the left was definitely on fire to where it looked really, really close.”