Michael R. Blood
The Chicago Sun-Times
LOS ANGELES — An arsonist swept through the Hollywood area under the cover of dark early Friday, torching vehicles whose flames ignited nearby houses, including one once occupied by Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
The four-hour onslaught started shortly after midnight and sent firefighters scrambling to douse fires in 21 locations in Hollywood and the neighboring city of West Hollywood. In nearly every case, the fire started in a parked car.
Authorities ruled out any possible link to terrorism while bracing for another round of fires and continuing the search for a suspect.
“We are hoping for the best but anticipating and preparing for the worst,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Brian Cummings said.
Los Angeles officials urged continued public vigilance Friday and offered at least $35,000 in rewards for information leading to the conviction of an arsonist or arsonists.
All of the fires on Friday were in a 2-square mile area and most were in densely populated residential neighborhoods where residents would likely be asleep.
One of the homes was in Laurel Canyon, where Morrison and his girlfriend once lived, neighbors said. The winding road was the inspiration for the Doors’ hit “Love Street,” and the house was listed for nearly $1.2 million earlier this year, according to real estate website Zillow.com.
Sandy Gendel, who owns a nearby restaurant, said he heard explosions from what he later determined were likely car tires. He saw flames 30 feet high coming from the deck of the former Morrison house and a gutted Mazda Miata.
“It was just like a towering inferno,” Gendel said.
Copyright 2011 Sun-Times Media, LLC
All Rights Reserved