POMONA – A fire that caused $500,000 worth of damage to an industrial building Wednesday evening was determined to not have been arson despite initial reports, authorities said.
“It’s an undetermined cause,” said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla on Thursday.
Los Angeles County firefighters responded to the fire at an abandoned building at 7:15 p.m. and found the building at 2003 S. San Antonio Ave. fully engulfed in flames.
A second alarm was called and more firefighters sent to the blaze, authorities said.
On Thursday, Pomona police Lt. Ron McDonald said a man who was near the building when the fire started was arrested on a parole violation, not for arson.
Area resident Maria Medina was on her way to the store when she noticed smoke coming from the building, she explained in Spanish.
Shortly after seeing smoke, she saw flames coming from inside the structure. At one point, she said the flames were more than 30 feet high.
“The smoke was very dark,” Medina said. “You could feel the heat all the way over here,” she said in reference to standing across the street from the building.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Darryl Jacobs said the fire was contained by 9:19p.m. The roof was composed of heavy timbers which provided fuel for the blaze, he said. In addition, there were pieces of old furniture inside the building which also burned.
Initial reports said the cause of the fire may have been arson, which is often a difficult thing to prove.
Frank Huddleston, Ontario Fire Department arson investigator since 1991, said statistically there is a higher instance of accidental fires than other types.
The fire, Huddleston said, must be investigated before an arson investigation begins.
“We know there’s certain items in a room or structure that cause a fire,” Huddleston said of his arson investigations. “If we don’t find those things, then we expand our view.”
Sometimes investigations are “real apparent,” Huddleston said.
“Let’s say there is a five-gallon gas can in a bedroom on its side with a label that says made to burn. Most people don’t put a five gallon gasoline can in their bedroom. But then we explore if there was an accident or an innocent explanation for the gas can being there – maybe it’s empty and was bought to use. There’s all sorts of things to consider.”
To determine if a fire is arson, an elimination process, deductive reasoning and interviewing witnesses is key, he said.
Padilla said there were no injuries that resulted from the fire.
West Coast 911 firefighter news source – San Gabriel Valley Tribune
You must log in to post a comment.