Damage Tops $1 Million as 2-Story Building Burns

An intense and “highly suspicious” fire destroyed a two-story commercial building early Sunday and required 60 firefighters to keep it from burning three adjacent buildings near Dana Point Harbor, officials said.

No one was injured in the blaze, which caused more than $1 million in damage and apparently was reported by a worker leaving a nearby restaurant shortly before 2 a.m.

The large building that once housed several small businesses was “well-involved” by the time 12 engine companies, three truck companies and two air utility units arrived to battle the fire, Fire Capt. Scott Brown said.

The building, at 24941 Dana Point Harbor Drive, did not have an internal sprinkler system and “was totally destroyed,” Brown said.

Minutes after firefighters arrived, flames engulfed and collapsed the roof, and soon sent the upper floor crashing through the first floor.

The blaze was so intense that the fire incident commander made an emergency traffic announcement to evacuate the scene, Brown said. This procedure requires everyone fighting a fire to back away while heads are counted to make sure no one is missing.

Within 45 minutes, the blaze was under control and firefighters were able to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings, which were of wood, with wood shingle roofs.

“This fire is highly suspicious in origin when you have a building of that size with that amount of fire involved,” Brown said, adding that it may be two or three days before a cause is determined.

Arson investigators, who routinely investigate every fire, spent Sunday searching the rubble. Danger from charred timbers compounded the difficulty of the finding the cause, Brown said.

Authorities initially estimated damage to the structure at $1,104,000, Brown said. The building was apparently unoccupied and did not appear to be undergoing remodeling, although some of the units were apparently being painted.

County records show the building is owned by K.Y. Rivera Corp. of Los Angeles. The property is valued at about $7 million. The company paid $74,187 in property taxes in 1994.

The property is managed by Joy Management Inc. of Los Angeles. Property manager Stan Kure, who visited the site Sunday, did not return calls for comment.

The last major fire in the city occurred last September, when a Sunday school building burned in a fire that appeared to have been deliberately set.

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City Fire

Fire destroys two- story commercial building.