Arson Blamed in $1-Million Simi Valley Fire
A fire that caused about $1 million in damage to a Simi Valley shopping center and injured a firefighter March 17 was caused by arson, an investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said Thursday.
The federal expert found no electrical source for the fire and ruled out accidental causes, said Mario Fontana, an ATF agent.
The fire destroyed a bookstore, a real estate office, a print shop and a magic store at the 12-business Regency Shopping Center, 1675 Los Angeles Ave., Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Dan Spykerman said. A restaurant was damaged.
A firefighter was treated for arm injuries.
The fire started around 8 p.m., apparently in three places where newspapers had been stuffed in the ceilings of buildings, Fontana said.
By the time firefighters arrived, about half an hour after the fire started, the ceiling of the bookstore was engulfed in flames.
The ATF was asked for assistance because the owner of the shopping center lives in Kentucky and could be interviewed by federal officers there, Fontana said.
Violation of the applicable federal law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, whereas the maximum under state law would be seven years, the agent said. When a firefighter is hurt, the possible federal penalty is automatically doubled, he noted.
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