No New Leads in Glendale Fire; Reward for Arsonist Is $75,000

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to offer a $25,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the arsonist who set last week’s Glendale blaze that destroyed 46 homes and damaged 20 others.

Calling the arsonist a “maniac,” Supervisor Mike Antonovich, a Glendale resident, urged citizens who might have leads in the case to call authorities. With the supervisors’ action, the reward now totals $75,000. Gov. George Deukmejian pledged up to $50,000 last week.

But fire officials said Tuesday they are no closer to solving the crime. The investigation still centers on a blue Honda with two occupants seen by witnesses in the area where the fire started, said Glendale Fire Capt. John Orr.

Orr, who heads a six-member team investigating Wednesday’s fire, which caused an estimated $50 million damage, said he had received 87 phone tips by Tuesday afternoon, but “nothing you could term hot.”

Meanwhile, Glendale fire victims began seeking help Tuesday morning at a relief center established at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. Residents applied for state and federal loans and grants to replace property not covered by insurance.

By midafternoon, 25 families had visited the center. Art and Thordis Rasmuson, who lost everything when their Ridge Drive home was destroyed, were among the first visitors.

The couple already had met with an insurance adjuster, but were uncertain whether their insurance would cover all losses.

“We are just here to be walked through this,” Thordis Rasmuson said. “How do we start rebuilding? What is the first step? In all honesty, the first question was, ‘What do we wear after today?’ ”

Art Rasmuson said he did not know how relief workers could put a monetary figure on some of the couple’s lost possessions, such as his grandfather’s roll-top desk.

“What is the value of heirlooms?” he asked. “What is the value of the pictures of our kids growing up?”

The center, which is being staffed by federal, state and local officials, tentatively will remain open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m today and Thursday.

In an attempt to prevent another tragic fire, Glendale City Councilman Carl Raggio, whose son’s home was destroyed in the hillside blaze, said he plans to ask the city manager to prepare a report on the feasibility of banning wood shingle roofs on existing homes.

A divided Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday refused to support a ban on new wood roofs, despite claims that such a ban could have dramatically reduced losses in the recent Southern California fires.

Last year, the Los Angeles and Glendale city councils adopted ordinances that prohibit shake roofs on new homes or as replacement roofs. But city and industry officials said they were unaware of any communities that have tried to force homeowners to replace existing roofs.

Mayor Larry Zarian said he is concerned about whether the city should impose such a large financial burden on homeowners. A new roof often costs at least $10,000, industry representatives said.

A spokesman for wood shake roof manufacturers and dealers also questioned whether Glendale could legally require the replacement of existing roofs.