Restaurateur Booked in Suspected Arson

A 45-year-old Simi Valley restaurateur was arrested on suspicion of setting his business on fire and causing $50,000 in damage, authorities said Saturday.

Mumtaz Fazli said the blaze at his Walck-In restaurant June 27 was caused by a man who came in the cafe’s kitchen door, doused him with a flammable liquid and set him on fire, authorities said.

Fazli suffered second- and third-degree burns on his face, chest and arms and was treated at Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital.

He was released in mid-July, authorities said. Kitchen equipment was destroyed in the fire, authorities said.

When he was first treated at Simi Valley Hospital, fumes from his injuries sickened nurses and prompted hospital officials to close the emergency room for 90 minutes.

The flammable substance is being analyzed at a lab but appears to be gasoline, authorities said.

Fazli said that prior to the fire, his business had been vandalized.

He was arrested about noon Friday by Simi Valley police officers and arson investigators from the Ventura County Fire Department. Fazli was stopped while driving alone in his car on Erringer Road in Simi Valley, said Sandi Wells, a Fire Department spokeswoman.

He was booked into jail on suspicion of arson Friday and released Saturday night after posting bail, authorities said.

The motive is under investigation, but Wells said in these cases the driving factor is often either insurance fraud or revenge. It was unclear whether Fazli’s injuries were accidental or intentional, Wells said.

“This type of case is somewhat unusual. As far as numbers go, we don’t have occasion to arrest a great number of people for this type of crime,” Wells said.