Anaheim : Officials Say Transients May Have Caused Fire
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A fire in an abandoned city-owned building early Tuesday may have been sparked by a campfire built by transients in an effort to warm themselves, city officials said.
The three-alarm fire at 133 West Chestnut St. took 40 firefighters about three hours to extinguish, Anaheim Fire Investigator Don W. Penfield said. It has been labeled suspicious, and an investigation is pending, he said.
The fire, reported at 2:36 a.m., destroyed the building, with damage estimated at $20,000, and caused an additional $60,000 in damage to an adjoining business, Penfield said.
City spokeswoman Sheri Erlewine said the building--owned by the city’s Redevelopment Agency and scheduled to be torn down next week--was sometimes used by transients.
“They may have had a small fire to keep warm. Last night was cold,” Erlewine said.
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