Man suspected of setting fire at Battle Ground post office

A man suspected of starting a fire that led to the Battle Ground post office flooding appeared Wednesday morning in Clark County Superior Court.

Clyde Wayne Tikka, 69, was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of second-degree arson and first-degree malicious mischief. Court records say Tikka is homeless.

In a probable cause statement included in court records, an officer said he was called to the Battle Ground post office about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday to check about an alarm tripped at the building.

He found the fire sprinklers were on, and he could smell smoke, according to court records. Once firefighters cleared the building to enter, police found a blue trash bin had been set on fire in the middle of the post office box section of the building.

The fire triggered the sprinklers, which flooded the building, according to court records, causing more than $5,000 in damage.

Outside the building, police found a hospital ID bracelet with Tikka’s name on it. At about 3 a.m., officers responded to a call from a convenience store regarding a man acting strangely. It turned out to be Tikka, according to court records.

In an interview, Tikka told an officer he lit the fire to get someone’s attention and that he lit it in the garbage bin, away from walls, so it wouldn’t spread to the building, according to court records.

Police arrested Tikka, and he was taken to a hospital, then the Clark County Jail. His bail was set at $75,000, and his next court date was scheduled for Tuesday.