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Crime & Safety

Firebug Strikes Valley

Officials believe the same arsonist who hit Hollywood and West Hollywood recently may have lit fires in North Hollywood, Valley Village, Valley Glen, Sherman Oaks, Burbank and Sun Valley.

Although two alleged arsonists remained in jail, another dozen or so vehicles were torched in Los Angeles before dawn today, this time in the eastern San Fernando Valley.

Nine separate fires were set today in North Hollywood and other neighborhoods north of the Hollywood Hills, destroying between 11 and 13 vehicles and scorching some apartment units above the burning hulks. A similar fire burned a vehicle just over the line in Burbank, and an exact total of destroyed vehicles was not immediately available from police or fire spokespersons. The neighborhoods of North Hollywood, Valley Village, Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen, Valley Village and Sun Valley all suffered suspected arson fires.

Patch reporter Anthony Pardines was at the scene of several of the fires. See the attached photos.

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On Thursday and Friday, 17 cars or small trucks were torched south of the hills, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles and in the adjacent municipality of West Hollywood.

"This is a significant event taking place here in the San Fernando Valley, as well as other parts in the city." said LAPD Cmdr. George Villegas. But police stopped short of saying that the city is seeing a rash of copycat arsons, mostly aimed at vehicles sitting in open-air garages sitting beneath upstairs residential units.

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"We've detained a number of people, but none that we can say are legitimately connected to this investigation at this point," Villegas said. No one has been held or charged with the recent string of fiery vandalism, he said.

The only clues released by police so far have been a sighting of a man driving a white-and-tan, mid-90s model Lexus ES300, and the police offering their theory that today's fires were consistent with those set by arsonists in the Hollywood and West Hollywood over the prior two nights.

The arsonist is apparently using some kind of Molotov cocktail, perhaps in a container able to penetrate car-window glass, police have said.

Fires were reported in the eastern San Fernando Valley at about 1:30 a.m. today, with three or four cars going up in flames under an apartment building near Burbank Boulevard and Colfax Avenue, which is about a block from the LAPD North Hollywood Division police station. Other fires were reported in carports on Riverside Drive near Colfax Avenue in Valley Village, Weddington Street, Cleon Avenue, Fulcher Avenue, Stagg Street, on Tuxford Street or Place and on New Haven Street.

Several people were believed to have been forced out of their apartments today, but police and fire officials were tight-lipped about their investigations. At least one person was said to be complaining of chest pain at the scene of one fire.

Burbank police reported an apparent arson on Rose Street, just east of the L.A. city limit, at 2:30 a.m. today.

"It was a vehicle fire, possibly arson. Burbank arson investigators responded to the scene," police Sgt. Scott Meadows said. "It's close to the North Hollywood border -- and they (North Hollywood) had some fires at the same time."

At a 6 a.m. news conference in North Hollywood, Villegas said police went on citywide tactical alert at 2:31 a.m., and ended that status three hours later, A tactical alert means police stay on overtime at the end of their shifts, and redeploy to assist police efforts in an affected area. department's Operations Command.

Watch commanders from all police stations have been notified to report any incidents they believe may be related to the fires to the department's Operations Command as a better way to monitor the situation, a police spokeswoman said.

"We are working with the Los Angeles (City) Fire Department in terms of the crime scene investigations, trying to look for the suspects," said Villegas at the 6 a.m. news conference.

On Thursday night and early Friday, 17 fires were set in Hollywood and five others in next-door West Hollywood. Most started in cars, and one spread to destroy a house on Rothdell Trail in the Hollywood Hills where "Doors" frontman Jim Morrison wrote the song "Love Street" about girlfriend Pam Courson.

City and county officials have offered a $60,000 reward for information leading to the culprit. Tips can be called into city firefighters at (213) 893- 9800, county firefighters at (800) 633-2836.

"We are dead serious about trying to apprehend the individual or individuals who are responsible for this. We want to get these S-O-Bs before they hurt somebody," county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said at a Friday news conference. "One of these fires was just less than three blocks from my own home."

Several suspects were questioned by police after the original arsons, and one of them remained jailed as additional cars were torched today. Samuel Arrington was arrested by Los Angeles police near La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard about 1:30 a.m. Thursday for allegedly setting a fire in a garbage can outside a 7-Eleven and trying to ignite a fuel tank on a truck, police said.

Arrington was also suspected in a 1:12 a.m. trash bin fire at 1444 Poinsettia Place and a carport fire at 1434 Fuller Ave., where four vehicles and an apartment were damaged, city firefighters said Thursday.

Arrington, booked on suspicion of attempted arson, was jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Alejandro Pineda was arrested in a rubbish fire at 1347 McCadden Place at 4:29 a.m. Friday, fire officials said. Pineda was booked for arson of property and is being held in lieu of $50,000.

 This summer, a serial arsonist who also mainly struck cars parked at buildings terrorized the North Hollywood area for multiple nights. Police .

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