Hawaiian Gardens : Arsonists Strike Medical Building for 4th Time

A three-alarm blaze Tuesday night--the fourth since August in the same Hawaiian Gardens medical building--was the work of an arsonist, say investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

There are no suspects and it is not known if the arsonist broke into the building, said Deputy Rafael Estrada, a department spokesman. Damage to the structure was estimated at $500,000, he said. Estrada would not say what led investigators to determine that the fire was deliberately set.

About 70 Los Angeles County firefighters battled the flames that broke out on the second floor of the medical office building at 21530 S. Pioneer Blvd. on the grounds of Charter Community Hospital. The south wing of the building houses a clinic run by Family Health Plan, the health corporation that manages the hospital.

The fire started, as it did three times before, in the largely vacant north end of the building, where a handful of private doctors rent office space. During the blaze, which was reported about 11:45 p.m., the roof of the structure reportedly collapsed and firefighters had to be pulled back for a time. No injuries were reported.