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Big condo fire will remain unsolved
by Robb Fulcher
Investigators have been unable to discover what caused a condo blaze in late March that inflicted an amount of damage nearly equal to a year's worth of other fires in Hermosa Beach.
Authorities suspect that the fire was intentionally set, but the extent of damage to the Manhattan Avenue structure prevented them from determining that with certainty, Hermosa Beach Fire/Arson Investigator Darryl Powers said Friday.
"The garage was open for some time that night and there was plenty of opportunity for someone to toss something in and go on about their way," Powers said. "We interviewed a lot of witnesses and some possible suspects, but nothing ever came of it."
Powers headed up a team from the South Bay Regional Arson Task Force that used a Los Angeles County Sheriff's dog to sniff for traces of flammable liquids that can be used to accelerate a fire. After the dog's nose said "yes" to the presence of such a liquid, the team gathered materials from the burned-out condo and sent them to the Los Angeles County Crime Lab for analysis.
"We have gotten the results back now, and there were no detectable flammable materials, despite a positive hit by the dog," Powers said. "The cause of the fire can't be determined."
The blaze did more than $125,000 damage to the building, its contents and four autos parked there. Last year, the total loss from 42 fires in Hermosa was $175,700.
On the building's face, blackened balconies told of a fire that had roared quickly up to the second story, charring the walls and melting television sets and stereos into surreal shapes. Four of the building's six tenants were at home asleep when the fire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, March 25. All got out safely. One man suffered minor first-degree burns, a sunburn-like reddening of his face, and minor smoke inhalation.
The landlords had installed the legally required smoke alarms, but none of the devices sounded, Powers said.
"It's up to tenants to maintain the integrity of the alarms," Powers said. "We recommend that people change the batteries twice a year with the time change, whether they need it or not. That way you don't have to think about it." ER