Local : Buddhist Priest Home Fire-Bombed
Three firebombs were hurled at the Northridge home of a Buddhist priest and her family this morning, causing a fire that heavily damaged the house but injured no one, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
The 3:23 a.m. blaze in the 8300 block of Yolanda Avenue burned the wood-shingle roof and a front window section at the home of Pradit and Pachri Phongpharnich, authorities said. Pachri (Pat) Phongpharnich is a priest with the Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights. Her husband is a mechanic.
Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said investigators had no suspects in the arson-caused blaze and had not determined a motive. He said it is believed that three homemade Molotov cocktails were hurled at the house.
“I have no fights with anyone,” Pachri Phongharnich said. “I meditate and chant for peace. I tell people not to be upset, to be happy.”
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