The Korea Herald

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More cars set afire in LA, arson suspected

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Published : Jan. 1, 2012 - 09:44

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Several more cars burned in suspected arson attacks in the Los Angeles area early Saturday morning, and authorities investigated if they were connected to nearly two dozen deliberately set blazes a day earlier, police said.

Seven or eight cars burned Saturday in the North Hollywood area, said officer Robert Collier.

He said he didn't have further details of the blazes, but said arson is suspected and there could be a link to the earlier blazes.

``We believe there might be, but we don't know for sure,'' he said.

Fire officials said the first report came in shortly after midnight, and the most recent about three hours later.

Early Friday morning, fires were reported in nearly two dozen locations in Hollywood and the neighboring city of West Hollywood during a four-hour period before dawn. In nearly every case, the fire started in a parked car.

Flames from torched vehicles ignited some nearby houses early Friday, including one once occupied by Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

But Collier said that although some of Saturday's blazes are in carports and garages, he didn't have any reports of damage to buildings.

Police set up a command post in the North Hollywood area and have called a tactical alert, allowing them to call in more officers.

No arrests have been made and no injuries reported.

Another car fire was reported around 7 p.m. Friday in an underground garage in Hollywood that fire officials were investigating for possible links to the series of arson blazes. Los Angeles Fire Capt. Jaime Moore said that a connection hasn't been ruled out.

Arson investigators ``consider it to be an incendiary fire similar to the fires from this morning,'' he told The Associated Press.

The new fires broke out even as authorities beefed up patrols and urged the public to remain vigilant overnight.

Officials announced at least $35,000 in rewards for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible.

All of Friday's fires were in a 2-square mile (5.2-square kilometer)area and most were in densely populated residential neighborhoods where residents would likely be asleep.

Authorities interviewed witnesses and looked for any video footage that may have captured the person, or people, responsible for the spate of crimes. Investigators from four agencies met for a strategy session, while Los Angeles officials summoned investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Fire officials couldn't say whether the rash of fires was the work of a copycat. There was a series of other arson fires early Thursday, also in Hollywood. Two people have been arrested and remain in custody for those blazes, officials said.

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 (10 meters) high coming from the deck of the former Morrison house and a gutted Mazda Miata.

``It was just like a towering inferno,'' Gendel said.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Jaime Moore said it is plausible that one person in a car, on a motorcycle or on a bike could have set all the fires, considering the limited area the blazes broke out in.

Hollywood is served by the Los Angeles city police and fire departments. Adjacent West Hollywood is a separately incorporated city served by the Los Angeles County fire and sheriff's departments.

 

 

<한글기사>

할리우드 연쇄방화..경찰 비상



미국 로스앤젤레스 할리우드와 웨스트 할리우드 일대에서 하룻밤 사이에 방화로 추정되는 화재가 연쇄적으로 발생해 경찰 이 비상 경계에 나섰다.

로스앤젤레스 경찰(LAPD)은 30일 (현지시간) 오전 4시20분 비상 동원령을 내리 고 로스앤젤레스 시내 전역에 경찰관을 배치하는 한편 순찰을 강화했다.

경찰은 29일 밤부터 이날 새벽까지 할리우드와 웨스트할리우드 지역에서 무려 1 9건의 화재가 일어났으며 모두 고의적인 방화로 추정된다고 밝혔다.

불은 주로 자동차나 차고에서 일어났지만 건물이나 주택으로 번져 그룹 '도어즈 '의 멤버였던 짐 모리슨이 살던 집도 태웠다.

모리슨은 1960년대에 여자친구와 함께 이 집에 살았고 그가 만들어 노래한  명

곡 '러브 스트리트'의 배경이 된 유명한 저택이다.

소방관들이 도착했을 때 집 앞에 주차된 승용차는 온통 불길에 휩싸였고 불길은 발코니로 옮겨 붙고 있었다.

35분만에 불은 껐지만 3층 짜리 저택은 앞쪽 벽면이 심하게 타버렸다.

경찰과 목격자에 따르면 웨스트할리우드에서는 11분 동안 6건의 화재가 일어났 고 각각 전화 신고가 들어왔다.

소방차가 출동해서 불을 끄고 있는 와중에도 인근 지역에서 불이 났다는 신고가 접수되는 등 일대 혼란이 벌어졌다.

경찰과 소방 당국은 한명 또는 다수의 방화범이 저지른 범행이라고 보고 있다.

마리오 루에다 로스앤젤레스 소방국장은 "방화가 분명하다"면서 "모든 관계 기관 이 힘을 합쳐 이 지역 주민의 안전을 지키는데 전력을 기울이겠다"고 다짐했다.

이에 앞서 LAPD는 지난 29일 할리우드에서 3건의 방화를 저지른 새뮤얼 애린턴( 22)을 붙잡아 조사 중이다.

경찰은 애링턴이 이날 연쇄 방화와도 연관성이 있는지 추궁하고 있다. (연합뉴스)