Investigators Unable to Determine Fire’s Cause
After two days of inspecting the ruins of a Westwood condominium fire, local and federal arson investigators remain baffled about the cause of the blaze that spread to 14 buildings and forced 150 people from their expensive homes.
The investigators found no evidence to allow them to conclude that the fire was arson or to otherwise pinpoint the cause, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Ed Reed said Thursday. The site where the fire started burned so thoroughly that investigation has been difficult, he added. “It looked like a giant barbecue pit,” he said.
The fire started early Saturday morning at the construction site of a posh 17-unit condominium complex called the Devonhill, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Devon Avenue. It spread to the Wilshire Terrace high-rise next door and to 13 other luxury apartment complexes and homes.
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