Local News in Brief : 24 Luxury Cars Destroyed in Fire

A suspicious fire gutted an Inglewood car repair shop and destroyed 24 luxury cars early Monday, causing more than $1.4 million in damage, officials said.

There were no reports of injuries, but the flames destroyed the Auto Surgeon Center at 9007 S. Aviation Blvd. and cars that included Porsches, a Rolls-Royce and other posh European luxury sedans that were being repaired, Inglewood Fire Chief Robert Bean said.

The fire, which began at 12:54 a.m., was extinguished about an hour later by about 50 firefighters with 11 fire companies from the cities of Inglewood and Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Damage to the building was estimated at $1 million and the cars were valued at more than $400,000, Bean said

“The cause of the fire is under investigation, but we do have a suspicion it was arson,” he said.