One of the fires erupted in a dumpster behind a Chevron gas station at La Cienega Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood. (photo by Edwin Folven)
A 27-year-old man was arrested for a series of arson fires in the Melrose area, West Hollywood and Hollywood on Jan. 19-20.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was called to a fire outside an attached garage in the 7700 block of Melrose Avenue around 10:08 p.m. on Jan. 19. Firefighters extinguished a second fire around 10:23 p.m. in a dumpster in the 8200 block of Melrose Avenue, LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.
Approximately 30 minutes later, Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters responded to a fire in a dumpster at a gas station at La Cienega Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood, spokeswoman Kaitlyn Aldane said. As firefighters extinguished the blaze, a second dumpster fire in West Hollywood was reported at 10:56 p.m. near Santa Monica Boulevard and Flores Street, she added.
LAFD firefighters were also called to a dumpster fire around 11:12 p.m. in the 6900 block of Waring Avenue om the Melrose area. No injuries were reported during any of the fires.
Police officers searching for the arsonist arrested the unidentified 27-year-old man believed to have started the fires around 1:45 a.m. on Jan. 20 near Willoughby and Hudson avenues in Hollywood. LAPD spokeswoman Rosario Cervantes had no further information and said the case was turned over to the LAFD’s Arson Unit, which will conduct a follow-up investigation and submit it to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for the filing of formal charges.