Woman charged with setting apartment on fire

A property manager has been charged with arson and insurance fraud following a recent fire that caused $100,000 in damage.

Michell Fugate, 34, of Irvine, manages a seven-unit apartment building at 504 Clay Ave.

Her case has been submitted to prosecutors for review, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Russell Reinhart said Wednesday.

Soon after one of the two-story units was set ablaze at about noon Friday, two Huntington Beach police detectives who were passing by saw the smoke, Reinhart said. While the fire department was en route, the detectives ensured nobody was injured.

Twenty-five firefighters responded to the blaze and extinguished it within about 15 minutes, fire department spokesperson Martha Werth said.

The fire department estimated the fire caused $100,000 in damage to the unit, as well as some smoke damage to the apartment immediately to the north, Werth said.

The unit had recently been vacated following an eviction, Reinhart said.

“The fireman had to cut the roof off. They responded quickly because they weren’t sure if there was someone in there,” said resident Richard Villafana, who witnessed the fire.

He was coming home from eating at a nearby restaurant when he saw the blaze and pulled into a church parking lot across the street.

Villafana said he was impressed by the professionalism of both the firefighters and the police officers, who kept the public back while firefighters handled the blaze. There were no reports of injuries or smoke inhalation.

Fugate posted $250,000 bail after her arrest.