Arson Suspected in $4-Million Fire
A fast-moving fire that caused $4 million in damage to a Boyle Heights textile warehouse on Sunday was described as being of a suspicious nature by Fire Department officials.
Flames had already engulfed the Ideal Textile Co., 1601 S. Grande Vista Ave., by the time 75 firefighters reached the scene at about 4 a.m., Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Pat K.D. Perry said.
“Something like that doesn’t usually get that big so fast,” Perry said.
The roof on the 150-by-200-foot structure collapsed before firefighters were able to control the blaze shortly after 5 a.m., he said. No injuries were reported.
A team of seven arson specialists spent the day scanning the mounds of charred fabric in search of clues, but the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Ideal Textile, which has been troubled for the last month by a labor dispute at its downtown manufacturing plant, is a family run business with 180 employees at three Los Angeles locations.
“This is shocking to look at,” said John Kogan, whose grandfather started the business 60 years ago. “It’s all gone now.”
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