Residents in a Beverly Grove neighborhood believe a large trash fire that happened Tuesday night was set by a serial arsonist squatting in a vacant building.
“I got an alert on Citizen that there was a trash fire on Sweetzer, which is the other block that the alley divides Flores and Sweetzer,” Freddy, a resident in the area, told KNX News’ Emily Valdez. “And I looked out and lo and behold there's a big fire going on where the squatters are.”
He added that neighbors ran out with fire extinguishers and water, trying to douse the flames.
“There was actually an accelerant, I believe, in the fire because no matter what we did, it wouldn't go out,” he said. “It was actually going up pretty high. It was probably, I would say, up to where the wires are, which is probably about 14 feet.”
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
Firefighters responded and were able to maintain the fire and get it out.
Freddy said this is the nin arson in recent months in the area, and he believes it's the same person - one of the squatters living in the three vacant apartment buildings on Flores near 3rd Street.
“We're beside ourselves,” he said. “This is very, very frightening.”
The building’s owner told KNX News that he is having them demolished, but the squatters are still in there while workers are tearing them down.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
