Crime & Safety

$50,000 Reward Offered For Capture of 'Brentwood Fire' Arsonist

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the arsonist responsible for a fire that burned several homes on Gorham Avenue early Thursday morning.

It's been dubbed the "Brentwood Fire" by the Los Angeles Fire Department—a fire that broke out early Thursday morning at a construction site on the 12300 block of Gorham Avenue, burning several buildings, cars and causing several millions of dollars worth of damage.

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of offering a $50,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspected arsonist.

"The $50,000 reward is to clearly say we want to find that person or people, and we want to put them in jail where they belong," Councilmember Bill Rosendahl said during a press conference.

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In total, seven vehicles and seven structures were damaged in the fire, said Michael Greenup, LAFD Battalion Chief.

"Over the weekend, we had numerous investigators on site gathering leads and information regarding this fire," said Greenup. "The crime of arson is a serious crime and not taken lightly in the city of Los Angeles. We will find this arsonist and we will make sure he's prosecuted to the fullest."

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Arson investigators would not say what led them to the conclusion that the fire was intentionally set, but they did confirm that some evidence was discovered by an accelerant-sniffing dog. Investigators believe that this fire is an isolated case and not linked to others in the city, said Senior Arson Investigator David Liske.

"In working a fire scene, much of the evidence or information that we gather is known only to the perpetrator," Liske said. "To release that may hamper the investigation by letting people know specifically what we found."


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