YAKIMA, Wash. — A tenant with suspected gang connections was cited for allegedly setting a fire Friday afternoon at the All Star Motel.

Firefighters responded about 5:30 p.m. to a fire near the pool house at the motel in the 1900 block of North First Street, putting it out after it charred a 20-foot patch of brush.

Firefighters determined the blaze had been set, according to a Yakima Fire Department news release.

Fire and police investigators suspect the 23-year-old man set the blaze, and a witness identified him as a tenant, the release said.

The man, who has an extensive criminal history and gang ties, was cited for reckless burning in the second degree. He will be summoned to Yakima Municipal Court.

— Ross Courtney