Search Is On for Car of Suspect in Arson : Inquiry: Officials launch extraordinary effort to find driver of black Pontiac Fiero who they believe may have deliberately set 2 fires.

Authorities said Friday they are investigating the possibility that two of Orange County’s recent wildfires--including the devastating blaze in Laguna Beach--may have been started intentionally by the same person.

Acting on a possible eyewitness account, investigators are searching the county for a black Pontiac Fiero. In their extraordinary effort to find the arsonist, authorities plan to contact the owners of every car that matches the description in a four-city area of central Orange County, said Anaheim arson investigator Mike Doty.

“We don’t know how many (cars) that will be, but this will obviously be a massive investigation,” Doty said. “Because of the damage and harm, it has to be done. We will be checking all of these cars and contacting their owners. It’s going to take a lot of people and a lot of legwork.”

State fire officials said Friday they are also “suspicious” about the cause of a third Orange County wildfire that was still burning in Cleveland National Forest after scorching more than 17,000 acres.

Like the others, it was started near a roadway and there is no apparent natural ignition source.

Doty said arson investigators have not met with officials working on the Cleveland National Forest fire, so they have not yet determined if there is a possible link among the three.

“If we can identify similarities with all these fires, then maybe we can determine the type of person who is doing this,” said county fire investigator John McMasters.

Gov. Pete Wilson said Thursday that a $50,000 reward will be offered to anyone providing information that leads to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist responsible for a fire that burned state property. That includes the three Orange County fires.

In their search for the black Pontiac Fiero, investigators have asked the state Department of Motor Vehicles to compile a list of all such cars in Anaheim, Orange, Villa Park and Yorba Linda. The search for the vehicle will be expanded to other cities if investigators come up empty-handed, he said.

Fire officials focused their efforts on the car after receiving a tip from a resident near the Anaheim Hills fire who told investigators he saw it speeding away from Stage Coach Road Tuesday night, shortly before a blaze occurred.

That fire burned more than 750 acres in a 24-hour period and damaged or destroyed 31 homes before being extinguished late Wednesday.

“We have an eyewitness who saw the vehicle, so we know which way to go,” Doty said. “On many arson fires, there are no eyewitnesses, so you don’t know the direction you need to head.”

Doty added that he believes the Anaheim Hills fire was started by somebody who knows the area, which is why the list of Pontiac cars is limited to the surrounding cities.

“This is an isolated spot,” Doty said. “It’s my belief that the person knows the area. Everything we know makes that appear to be the case.”

He said three Fiero owners have already been interviewed.

“Two of the owners we have dismissed as suspects,” he said. “We cannot dismiss the third, however.”

The arson team also said it is examining the possibility that the Pontiac driver was also responsible for the Laguna Beach fire, which burned 16,684 acres and destroyed 366 homes--the most devastating of the Southland’s recent wildfires.

Part of the reason investigators said they believe there may be a link is that both were set in remote areas near roadways where there would be few witnesses. They declined to elaborate on other reasons the fires may be linked.

McMasters said his office has received about 100 telephone calls from people with information about the fire and was in the process of sifting the good leads from bad.

However, the odds are against arson investigators. Only about 17% of arsonists are captured, according to FBI statistics. Prosecutors also consider arson cases among the most difficult to prove in court.

“So much of this is luck,” McMasters said. “It’s going to take a lot of luck and a lot of hard work.”

McMasters said investigators are hoping that the arsonist in the Laguna Beach fire may be so guilt-ridden over having caused the damage to more than 300 homes that he may turn himself in.

“He may not have intended to cause so much devastation,” he said.

McMasters also cautioned, however, that “if (the arsonist) doesn’t feel some compassion for the people who lost their homes, then until that person is caught, that person is a threat to all of Southern California.”

Even as McMasters and his colleagues were probing the cause of the Laguna fire Friday, more work was heading their way. A fourth brush fire erupted in Dana Point on Friday afternoon that was also intentionally set.

Authorities said they were searching for a white male in his early 30s with shoulder-length, dark brown hair. He was wearing dark pants, a white T-shirt and was driving a newer model white Ford Mustang.

“We have absolutely no way of knowing if it is the same person responsible for the Laguna Beach fire,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Dick Olson. “We have no one in custody at this time.”

The blaze was quickly extinguished before it did significant damage. But the fire raised officials’ concerns of “copy-cat” crimes.

“Darn right that’s a possibility,” Doty said. “That often seems to be the case--one arson fire will lead other people to do the same thing. That might very well be what is going on.”

Orange County investigators are planning to meet on Monday with their counterparts in the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The meeting is expected to include investigators from throughout the Southland seeking to share information.

Several of the fires throughout Southern California have been blamed on arsonists.

Investigators were asking anybody with information about the cause of the fires to call (714) 744-0515 for Orange County fire officials or (714) 254-4000 for Anaheim fire investigators.