Big Huntington Beach Fire Is Labeled Arson

Huntington Beach fire investigators said Monday that arson is definitely the cause of a $4-million fire that destroyed senior citizens’ housing under construction on Thanksgiving Day but that the exact method and motive remain unknown.

There also are no known suspects, Fire Chief Ray Picard said.

“We have eliminated all natural and accidental causes,” Picard said. “That upgrades this thing to arson.

“We’re still following a lot of leads from the citizens,” he said. “We’re hoping someone in the citizenry will come forward. If they have any information or knowledge relative to this fire, contact the department at (714) 536-5411.”

The spectacular blaze destroyed Five Points Court, a four-story, 148-unit housing complex for senior citizens under construction at Main and Florida streets. Picard said investigators have pinpointed the origin of the fire on the first floor on the north side of the building.

Only steel girders and wood-framed walls stood atop a reinforced concrete parking garage at the site when the fire broke out Thanksgiving afternoon, city and fire officials said.

A chain-link fence enclosed the property, but it was open in at least two locations used by construction crews to enter the site and receive deliveries of building equipment, a Fire Department official said.

“We have quite a number of witnesses who reported people leaving the area,” Picard said. “We have tracked those people down and eliminated those people as witnesses.”

Picard said officials continue to assess the toll. An additional 20 automobiles were damaged on Beach Boulevard at a Volkswagen dealership, bringing to about 60 the number of cars damaged by the blaze, he said.

The fire was the worst in the city’s history, but Picard said last week that it could have been much worse had it spread to adjoining businesses and residences. About 85 firefighters from Huntington Beach and surrounding cities restricted the blaze largely to the construction site.