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 the time, and no one was injured.
The blaze resulted in roughly $1 million in damages, as well as displaced 12 businesses. The rapid speed with which the fire grew led firefighters to suspect arson and launch an investigation.
“Because so many were displaced and so much lost, it’s especially important to find out who did this,” Weber said.
An arson dog brought in by the Los Angeles City Fire Department detected the presence of an accelerant in the dental office in which the fire broke out, located in the 1100 block of Highland Avenue above Koffee Kart restaurant, Weber said. Lab results of the sample came back positive for an accelerant, according to Weber, though he declined to say which type was used.
A large, entry window in the front lobby, where the fire broke out, was broken.
“Apparently, this person either threw something through the window or put it by the window instead of going around to the back of the building,” Weber said.
A MBFD official is working fulltime to investigate the case, with the aid of other firefighters. Weber could not say whether the arsonist appeared to be a professional.
“We try to look for a pattern,” he said.
Anyone with information about the incident, including photos or videos, is asked to contact the MBFD Arson Investigation Unit at 310-802-5203. ER
