Crime & Safety
Update: Suspect ID'd in L.A. Arson Spree
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa identified a man believed behind suspicious fires that have been reported, including one in Los Feliz.
Update 6:18 p.m.: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has identified Harry Burkhart, 24, as the suspect in 53 arson fires since Friday, City News Service reported.
Update 12:20 p.m.: Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Jaime Moore says the arson suspect arrested is a 55-year-old suspected of 53 fires in cars and carports since Friday. He says property damage--mostly in Hollywood and West Hollywood--totals about $2 million.
Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Previously: A spate of arsons in the Los Angeles area over the past days has kept the city on edge. The Los Angeles Fire Department sent out an email alert that said 55 suspicious fires occurred from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2.
45 of these fires were in the city of Los Angeles, nine were in West Hollywood and one in Burbank.
Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
An early morning statement from the LAFD on Jan. 2 read that “A person of interest has been detained and is being questioned. It is too early to speculate if this person responsible for spree arson fires.”
The Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council sent out an email alert on Jan. 1 to let residents know a suspicious fire had occurred Monday afternoon in Los Feliz.
Andrea Iaderosa, Public Safety Chairman of the GGPNC, reported that a car was set on fire around 1:30 pm while the owners were having lunch nearby. The car was parked on the 4500 block of Melbourne Avenue, between Rodney Drive and Hillhurst Avenue.
Both the LAFD and the GGNPC advised residents to remain vigilant.
