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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The investigation was continuing Friday into a series of more than two dozen tree fires since March in the Mount Washington, Glassell Park and Silver Lake areas of Los Angeles, as well as a tree fire that spread to an apartment building in the Westlake area.
"The LAFD is aware of various suspicious vegetation fires around the Mount Washington, Glassell Park and Silver Lake areas," Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. "A total of 26 tree fires have been reported in these communities since March 1st, 2023."
The investigation was being conducted by personnel from the LAFD, the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Los Angeles Police Department, Prange said.
"These agencies are working collaboratively to conduct a thorough investigation and to bring to justice any potential criminal behavior," Prange said. "Determining the cause of these fires remains a high priority, in an effort to increase public safety."
No reports of significant damage or injuries have been associated with the fires in the Mount Washington, Glassell Park and Silver Lake areas, Prange said.
Meanwhile, about 8:20 p.m. Thursday in the Westlake area, a tree fire in the 1500 block of West Cambria Street spread to an apartment building, and the flames were extinguished in about 45 minutes, Prange said. No injuries were reported.
"The cause of the fire is under active investigation," Prange said. It was not immediately known if there was a connection between the Westlake fire and the earlier series of fires.
Anyone with information about the fires was urged to contact the LAFD Arson Tip Line at 213-893-9850 or LAFDArson@lacity.org.