There were some “Closed” signs hung abruptly Monday afternoon on Main Street after a fire destroyed practically an entire block that had been at the heart of the city’s revitalization efforts on Main Street.
The even-number addresses on a Main Street block, everything from El Trocadero, a once-popular night spot that had been closed for months, right up to the Canyon Theatre Guild — which was spared — were heavily impacted by a fire that had burned from just before 3 a.m. to nearly six hours later, when it was deemed under control.
Even around noon that morning, though, flames and smoke could still be seen and the Main Street had little traffic except for the fire and sheriff SUVs parked by every major intersection.
One note outside Jazmin’s Bakery apologized in Spanish and explained, “There are no lights.”
William Bermudez, chef for Old Town Junction, which sits directly across the street from the blaze, said their closure was a show of solidarity for their friends across the street.
Access also was severely limited from the north and east due to the cadre of emergency vehicles and cautionary tape that remained strewn about, as an L.A. County Fire Department bulldozer rolled over rubble it was clearing from the city’s theater, The Main.
Theories were readily shared by those on the street, which included potentially trespassers, with several abandoned locations nearby — but the investigators responsible for finding out, the Arson and Explosives Unit of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, had little to say Monday afternoon.
An official with the arson team described it as an “active scene” Monday afternoon but declined to state whether any cause had been determined or even where the fire’s origin point was.
“Due to the extensive damage and size of the affected area, Fire Department personnel are assisting Arson and Explosives Detail investigators with the excavation of the scene to allow for a thorough examination and identification of the fire’s area of origin,” according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department on Monday afternoon. “The investigation remains ongoing, and no determination regarding the cause has been made at this time.”
Investigators were not ready to say whether there had been any suspects identified Monday.
A huge black mark on the south side of the fire wall next to Gary’s Auto Collision Center led some to speculate whether that was the origin point. Neither arson investigators nor the Fire Department would comment.
Several of the properties that were heavily damaged or destroyed in Monday’s blaze, including the buildings that housed The Main theater, Gary’s Auto Collision and Newhall Refinery, are owned by Frank Maga, the former chair of the city’s redevelopment committee for Downtown Newhall.
He was not immediately available for comment Monday.
Assistant Fire Chief Pat Sprengel declined to make any statement regarding the visual cues, saying only that his agency passed on the investigation into the incident to the LASD Arson and Explosives Unit around 7 a.m., while firefighters’ efforts on the scene were still well under way.
When asked what, if any, factors might have led to the Fire Department handing over the investigation, Sprengel said he didn’t have any comment.
“It’s their handle, so they’ll handle it,” he said Monday afternoon outside Old Town Junction, adding that the agencies work together all the time, and declining to say anything else on the record.
As a Fire Department bulldozer cleared the rubble from Newhall Refinery, Arson and Explosive detectives interviewed people at a bus stop on Railroad Avenue seeking answers.
No statement was available from the Sheriff’s Department’s investigation as of this story’s publication.
John Wright, owner of Gary’s Auto Collision, spoke to investigators on Railroad Avenue on Monday afternoon, but he said he didn’t have any answers on what happened.
“I don’t know,” he said, when he was asked about the fire’s potential origin. “They’re not letting us in because of all the demolition.”
TimBen Boydston, who runs the nonprofit Canyon Theatre Guild, which was basically untouched, right next to a building that was heavily damaged, said he came down as early as he could when he heard of the fire.
He missed a call from City Manager Ken Striplin around 4:15 a.m., he said, but received the message and was at the guild by about 4:30 a.m.
He was worried because a lot of the sets are wood, but luckily nothing was lost, he added.
Boydston said it was terribly unfortunate, expressing both sadness for the theater district’s loss and skepticism the city would rebuild.
“So, yeah, it’s kind of a tragedy,” the executive director of the theater guild said. “I mean, a real tragedy.”
Anyone with information about this incident can contact Sheriff’s Arson and Explosives Detail general line at 323-881-7500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
