Klamath Falls, OR. — An early morning string of fires in downtown Klamath Falls led to the arrest of a 35-year-old man on multiple arson charges.
At approximately 5:48 a.m. on Monday, October 13, 2025, officers from the Klamath Falls Police Department responded to a report of a dumpster fire in the alley behind 200 Main Street. Officers were able to extinguish the fire before it spread.
As the investigation began, witnesses and surveillance footage provided a description of the suspect. Soon after, additional fires were reported throughout the downtown area. Klamath County Fire District crews extinguished a blaze behind a business in the 400 block of Main Street, and police put out another fire behind a church in the 600 block of Pine Street.
Officers located the suspect minutes later in the 400 block of North 9th Street and identified him as Preston Helgesen, 35. Helgesen was arrested and booked into the Klamath County Jail on three counts of first-degree arson, two counts of reckless burning, and one count of first-degree criminal mischief.
Police credited the quick work of both officers and firefighters for preventing the fires from escalating. “We are grateful for the immediate response of our officers and the Klamath County Fire District for extinguishing these fires before they got out of control,” the department said in a release.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Klamath Falls Police Department at 541-883-5336, referencing Case #2025-10130013.
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