Spate of arson fires keeps LA busy
Source: Agencies |
January 2, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FIRE trucks parked in neighborhoods. Police patrolled the city. Switchboards took hotline calls. Los Angeles officials scrambled on a busy New Year's Eve to identify who was behind dozens of arson fires that have spooked the Hollywood area for two straight nights.
A pair of blazes Saturday evening suggested it could be a long night. Firefighters quickly put out a car fire at about 6pm in Hollywood that "fits the profile of concern" authorities have been following for the arsons, fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
A crew of 10 put out the fire in minutes. The flames did not spread beyond the car and no one was injured. Humphrey could not immediately say how the fire started.
Later at the Hollywood and Highland complex, a popular spot for holiday revelers, firefighters responded to a small car fire in a parking structure that was out by the time they arrived, Humphrey said.
He said only that the fire was under investigation, and could not say whether it was thought to be arson or tied to the others.
The fires resembled more than a dozen set before dawn Saturday, mostly in North Hollywood, and nearly two dozen fires set in and around Hollywood a day earlier.
Though some of the fires spread and damaged homes and apartments, none have brought injuries.
Still, some residents were on edge as authorities ramped up efforts to catch the culprit or culprits on a night when police and fire resources are always stretched thin as drunken New Year's revelers hit the town.
"We're pulling out all the stops," Humphrey said. "We're hoping that the person or people responsible will be brought to swift and complete justice."
Firefighters were to be stationed around the city to respond to emergencies, while authorities set up a hotline and pored through tips.
A pair of blazes Saturday evening suggested it could be a long night. Firefighters quickly put out a car fire at about 6pm in Hollywood that "fits the profile of concern" authorities have been following for the arsons, fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
A crew of 10 put out the fire in minutes. The flames did not spread beyond the car and no one was injured. Humphrey could not immediately say how the fire started.
Later at the Hollywood and Highland complex, a popular spot for holiday revelers, firefighters responded to a small car fire in a parking structure that was out by the time they arrived, Humphrey said.
He said only that the fire was under investigation, and could not say whether it was thought to be arson or tied to the others.
The fires resembled more than a dozen set before dawn Saturday, mostly in North Hollywood, and nearly two dozen fires set in and around Hollywood a day earlier.
Though some of the fires spread and damaged homes and apartments, none have brought injuries.
Still, some residents were on edge as authorities ramped up efforts to catch the culprit or culprits on a night when police and fire resources are always stretched thin as drunken New Year's revelers hit the town.
"We're pulling out all the stops," Humphrey said. "We're hoping that the person or people responsible will be brought to swift and complete justice."
Firefighters were to be stationed around the city to respond to emergencies, while authorities set up a hotline and pored through tips.
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