Transient Charged in Store Fires : Courts: The 38-year-old man is held on bail of $1 million. He is also accused of setting ablaze a room in an abandoned motel where he had been living.

A 38-year-old transient was charged Monday with eight counts of arson for allegedly setting three fires that broke out almost simultaneously in a busy Ventura Boulevard commercial strip in Studio City last week, causing an estimated $2.5 million in damage.

John Charles Kellogges, who was ordered held on $1-million bail, was also charged with a ninth count for allegedly setting fire to a room in an abandoned Studio City motel where he had been living.

Kellogges was charged with one count of arson of a structure for each of the eight businesses damaged when three fires were started Dec. 26 between the 12100 and 12500 blocks of Ventura Boulevard. Pier 1 Imports and Strouds Linen Warehouse were destroyed, and the six other businesses were damaged by flames, smoke and water.

The ninth charge, for recklessly starting a fire in a structure, was based on several fires that Kellogges allegedly set in a room of the Fruitland Motel at 10822 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

Authorities said it was unknown how long Kellogges had been living in the defunct motel. The empty room smelled heavily of smoke Monday, and the rug and bathroom fixtures were charred.

The motive for the fires remained unknown, Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Andrew W. Diamond said.

Kellogges faces up to 18 years in prison if convicted, Diamond said. During an appearance before San Fernando Municipal Court Commissioner Gerald T. Richardson, Kellogges was ordered held on $1-million bail. Arraignment was scheduled Jan. 7.

“The man is an extreme danger,” Diamond said after the hearing. “The judge perceived that danger” in ordering the high bail.

Kellogges was arrested the day after the blazes when a customer at a restaurant near the fire scene told police that there was a man in the restroom who matched the description of the arson suspect.

Kellogges, who has at least two aliases and has lived in the Los Angeles area since at least the 1960s, had matches and a lighter when he was arrested, Diamond said. He also smelled of smoke and some of his clothing had been charred by fire, the prosecutor added.

“Our case is based primarily on eyewitness identification and physical evidence,” Diamond said. “We have witnesses who put him at the scene, plus the fact that his clothes were substantially charred.”

Authorities refused to comment on what Kellogges’ mental status is or if it was believed to be a factor in the fires. Witnesses interviewed shortly after the fires reported that they believed the fires were set by a shabby man who mumbled and made bizarre statements about setting fire to a mirror.

In court, the unshaven suspect smoothed his hair with his hand and then folded his arms when his case was called. He spoke briefly when Richardson mentioned his aliases--John Beck and John Keliogedo--and asked if Kellogges was his true name.

“That is the only name I go by,” Kellogges replied.

Authorities said Kellogges had no identification when arrested but said he was John Kellogges and a fingerprint check verified the name. A source familiar with the investigation said Kellogges has a record of arrests for minor criminal violations dating back to when he was a juvenile, but that he had never been charged with arson before or served a prison term. Records on those arrests could not be located Monday.

Investigators believe that the fires were started with matches or a lighter used to ignite flammable merchandise such as bedding, pillows and rattan furniture in the stores that burned. They declined to say whether they have located witnesses who saw Kellogges starting any of the fires.

It is believed that the arsonist walked east on Ventura Boulevard, starting the first fire inside the Bed, Bath and Beyond store, and then 20 minutes later igniting blazes at Pier 1 and Strouds. Although a gasoline can was found behind Pier 1, investigators do not believe that it was used by the arsonist, Diamond said.

Authorities declined to discuss statements Kellogges made after his arrest but said he willingly took investigators to the Fruitland Motel to show them where he had been staying in recent days.