Arson suspected in 7 Griffith Park fires
L.A. fire officials are investigating whether there is a single serial arsonist or more.
L.A. fire officials declared today that the seven fires that have struck Griffith Park over the last three weeks were deliberately set and are trying to determine whether they are dealing with a single serial arsonist.
Investigators believe the arsonist or arsonists are on foot or in a vehicle, perhaps disguised as bicyclists or hikers to blend with the park crowd, said Los Angeles City Fire Arson Investigator Rosa Tufts.
"The one consistent item that we've seen is that all the fires are being set by the roadside," Tufts told The Times. "This is definitely a crime of opportunity."
Officials said they were surprised by the number of fires to hit the park in such a short period of time.
"In recent history, this is the most amount of fires in such a short period" in the park, said Senior Arson Investigator David Liske, a 26-year veteran.
Saturday's five fires near the Travel Town railroad museum were probably set by the same person, investigators said, but two previous fires on Aug. 4 and July 28 may be unconnected.
The fires are particularly dangerous given dry conditions in the park and have lead to stepped-up patrols, fire officials said.
"We're just very mindful based on the number of incidents we've had and the lack of rainfall," said Los Angeles Fire Battalion Chief Michael Thomas, who was out at the fire scene Saturday.
After the second blaze, fire officials met with park rangers and police to discuss expanding park patrols and possibly restricting park access, Liske said. Now they are encouraging park regulars to report unusual activity, including people using lighters, road flares, campfires and smoking in restricted areas.
"We're going to have to rely on the assistance of the public," Liske said. "It would be frequent park travelers who would recognize if something is out of the ordinary."
Many of those who live near the park have had a heightened sensitivity to wildfires since last year, when Griffith Park suffered its worst fire in three decades. That fire burned one-quarter of the park, about 1,200 acres, sending up plumes of smoke above surrounding neighborhoods, destroying popular hiking areas and leaving some hillsides still scorched.
"Now we're worried about every fire," said Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the park, where he often hikes. "Everybody's on edge."
