Fire Causes Minor Damage at St. Vibiana’s

Arson investigators are looking into a suspicious rubbish fire that slightly damaged the otherwise empty and shuttered St. Vibiana’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles.

The small blaze was reported shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday and was extinguished in about 10 minutes, a Fire Department spokesman said. Damage to the structure was estimated at about $1,000, he said Thursday.

The fire greatly alarmed preservationists seeking a buyer and new use for the 120-year-old church. St. Vibiana’s is at the center of a controversy involving archdiocese plans to demolish the earthquake-damaged cathedral even though a replacement will be built elsewhere in downtown. Archdiocese spokesman Father Gregory Coiro said the fire “does point to the danger of that building.”