Arson Caused House Fire, LAFD Says
Posted by Daniel Antolin on Dec 21, 2011 - 10:52:31 PM
5136 Llano Drive. Photo courtesy of LAFD.
WOODLAND HILLS—On Tuesday, December 20, Los Angeles Fire Department investigators determined that a fast-moving fire, which caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to an unoccupied, split-level home in Woodland Hills, was an act of arson. The perpetrator(s) remain at large.
Firefighters drove south of Ventura Boulevard past narrow, winding streets during the afternoon of December 19 toward a 2,292 square-foot home located at 5136 Llano Drive. When they got there, they found the home's street-level top floor and the below-grade floor engulfed in heavy flames. A vigilant neighbor had called the fire department at 1:03 p.m.
Flames on the below-grade floor of the home proved to be "stubborn" to put out, an LAFD tweet states. LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey said that it took 45 firefighters 25 minutes to confine all the flames after an "aggressive and well-coordinated attack." Thereafter, investigators, with the help of a chemical detection dog, determined that the fire was the result of a deliberate act. The dog would have been searching for an accelerant, any substance or mixture of chemicals that "accelerates" the development of fire.
Anyone with information about this crime can contact the LAFD Arson/Counter-Terrorism Section at 213-893-9800 or at lafdarson@lacity.org.
Both levels of the
47-year-old hillside home, which was equipped with a non-fire sprinkler
system, sustained more than $300,000 worth of damage. Zillow.com
indicates that the property was sold in April for $420,000.
-
Serving Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Beverly Hills. Brentwood, Laurel Canyon, Los Feliz, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Melrose, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Topanga, Canyon, Westwood & Hollywood Hills.
