3 Cars Destroyed in Santa Ana Fire

Three cars parked in a Santa Ana apartment building carport were destroyed early Friday when the structure caught fire, Fire Department officials said.

Damage to the cars and the one-story building at Townsend Street was estimated at $25,000. An arson investigation was launched although the cause of the 5 a.m. blaze has not yet been determined, Battalion Chief Bill Zastro said.

No one was hurt in the fire, which was restricted mostly to the carport. Patches of flames “the size of softballs” ignited the roof of the apartment itself but were quickly extinguished, Zastro said.