Manhattan Beach downtown blaze deemed arson
Manhattan Beach firefighters put out a fire at a commercial building on Highland Avenue last month, after 12 businesses were damaged. Photo courtesy MBFD A blaze that quickly engulfed a downtown Manhattan Beach business and damaged two others in the same building last month has been declared arson, officials said Monday. Firefighters have no suspects and are asking for the public’s assistance in its investigation, which is being aided by the Manhattan Beach Police Department. “Arson is a very difficult crime to prosecute because a lot of evidence is lost in the fire,” said MBFD Battalion Chief John Weber. “You may know it’s arson, but putting somebody there when the business is closed is very difficult. We’re hoping someone might have seen someone around there at the time of the incident.” At 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 26, firefighters arrived in less than four minutes at the dental office of Steven Guidone, 1104 N. Highland Ave., where flames spewed from the office and black smoke billowed throughout the two-story building. By the time they arrived, a nearby palm tree, a parking meter and a light pole also had caught fire. A newspaper stand had nearly melted. The building was vacant at…
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