Carport

Three carport fires early Monday may have been the work of a suspected arsonist believed to have set more than a dozen such blazes across the San Gabriel Valley in the past year, authorities said. The first fire was apparently set beneath a car in a Monterey Park apartment building in the 600 block of North Chandler Avenue, said Monterey Park Battalion Chief Tim Murphy. The owner of the car reported the blaze about 4 a.m., which firefighters extinguished in about five minutes.

For 37 years, the identity of a young man beaten to death in an carport in Long Beach remained a mystery. Not only did detectives not know who the assailant was, but they were never able to identify the victim, found naked and dead on Spring Street near the 605 Freeway on Nov. 10, 1974. The case of John Doe No. 155 gathered dust on the shelves of the Long Beach Police Department, hidden among the dozens of unsolved mysteries. His death was ruled undetermined. Last year, Long Beach cold-case detectives scoured the files for cases to reopen and stumbled upon the mystery man dumped at the Lakes apartment complex.

Beverly Hills residents can park their cars in their driveways, carports and garages, and even on some streets in front of their homes with a permit. But they cannot park their cars under a porte-cochere. A porte-cochere is found on most of the older, Mediterranean-style homes throughout the city. It is attached to the side of the house and was originally intended to serve as a pickup and drop-off point leading usually into the kitchen, according to Planning Director Irwin Moss Kaplan.

A 38-year-old construction worker was killed Saturday morning in South Los Angeles when a garage collapsed on him during a home remodeling project, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Firefighters arrived at the house in the 1500 block of East 51st Street about 9:40 a.m., just as workers were pulling the man out from the debris, Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. It wasn't known if he was a licensed construction worker or a day laborer, Humphrey said.

A fire damaged five apartment units Monday afternoon, leaving 13 people without homes. About 4:40 p.m., firefighters were called to a blaze that started in a carport in the 4800 block of Heil Avenue, a Fire Department spokesman said. About 27 firefighters took 35 minutes to control the fire, which gutted the carport and nine cars before spreading to the apartments. No injuries were reported but the fire caused $100,000 in damage, the spokesman said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

An early-morning blaze on Friday destroyed a house, a carport and a converted garage and left two families homeless, fire officials said. No injuries were reported in the fire in the 300 block of South Cypress Street, although one unidentified man was hospitalized for chest pains not caused by smoke inhalation, said Fire Department spokeswoman Sandy Hastings. The fire apparently started in the kitchen about 3:30 a.m., Hastings said.

Two fires damaged about a dozen cars at an Anaheim apartment complex early Saturday, and investigators suspect an arsonist is to blame, a fire department spokesman said. An Anaheim battalion chief, Capt. Bob Young, said the first fire damaged 8 to 10 cars in a carport at the complex at 801 N. Loara St. The fire was reported about 2:30 a.m. and was quickly extinguished, he said. But Young said the crews were sent back when another call was received at 5:38 a.m.

Arson is suspected in a fire at a Reseda apartment building that destroyed five cars and a carport Saturday, causing an estimated $70,000 in damage, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said. Ten engine companies responded to the 4:30 a.m. fire at 7817 Reseda Blvd., extinguishing it in 12 minutes, said Greg Acevedo of the Fire Department. Damage was estimated at $50,000 for the cars and $20,000 for the carport. Arson investigators said the fire was started by an incendiary device.

A 70-foot-wide sinkhole continued growing Sunday after swallowing one house and a carport and forcing evacuation of four homes in a retirement community, officials said. The hole was about the size of a pickup truck when it was first discovered Saturday in this small town in northeastern Florida. But by Sunday, it had grown dramatically and was 70 feet wide and 45 feet deep.

A 38-year-old construction worker was killed Saturday morning in South Los Angeles when a garage collapsed on him during a home remodeling project, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Firefighters arrived at the house in the 1500 block of East 51st Street about 9:40 a.m., just as workers were pulling the man out from the debris, Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. It wasn't known if he was a licensed construction worker or a day laborer, Humphrey said.

Thirteen cars, including several high-end models such as a Porsche, two Lexuses and a Pontiac Solstice, were destroyed or severely damaged early Tuesday after a fire broke out in a carport at a Pasadena condominium complex, authorities said. Residents were awakened shortly after 2 a.m. by the sound of popping tires in the 1000 block of South Orange Grove Avenue, said Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the Pasadena Fire Department. She said residents described it as sounding like small explosions.

A carport fire at Leisure World Seal Beach destroyed nine of 10 vehicles parked there Monday, but no one was hurt, a fire official said. Investigators were seeking the cause of the blaze reported at 3:49 p.m. at 13180 Southport Lane, an Orange County Fire Authority dispatcher said. It took about three dozen firefighters about half an hour to douse the flames, she said. The blaze caused $180,000 damage to the structure and the autos.

A former Los Angeles firefighter who was captured after 2 1/2 years on the run was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison for setting fire to the carport of his estranged wife's South Pasadena apartment. David Walter Pierson, 67, sat passively as Pasadena Superior Court Judge Judson W. Morris Jr. sentenced him to state prison and ordered him to pay $200 to a victims fund. Before the sentencing, his lawyer said Pierson also paid $4,000 in restitution to the victim.

A retired Los Angeles firefighter captured after 2 1/2 years on the run from charges that he stalked his ex-wife, beat her and set fire to her South Pasadena carport pleaded no contest Tuesday to arson and will be sentenced to two years in prison. David Walter Pierson, 67, captured in Laughlin, Nev., last September by South Pasadena police, entered the plea in Pasadena Superior Court.

An intense carport fire early Sunday destroyed or damaged 15 vehicles at an Irvine apartment building and threatened sleeping residents, fire officials said. The 5 a.m. blaze was so hot that the vehicles' fuel tanks melted through, causing gasoline to spill onto the garage floor and intensifying the heat, said Dennis Shell, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority. Eight vehicles were destroyed and seven others were severely damaged.

An arsonist may have set a fire that gutted a carport early Monday at a Garden Grove apartment complex where tenants are embroiled in a dispute with the property owners and managers, fire officials said Monday. The fire broke out about 2:13 a.m. at the Haster Gardens complex. No one was injured, but a pregnant woman fainted and was treated at a hospital and released. The fire destroyed three cars, causing an estimated $40,000 in damage, and was contained in about 17 minutes, said Capt.

The price that first-time homeowner Justin Bieber paid for his new digs in Calabasas has wended its way into the public record: $6.5 million. Set on 1.3 acres in a gated community, the 10,000-square-foot main house is described as "transitional French" in style. Features include a high-ceiling foyer, library, a movie theater with stadium seating, a wet bar and a wine cellar — just what every 18-year-old pop singer needs. Including a guesthouse, there are seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

This 2-year-old house inspired by the historic homes of Belgium feels as if it could be sitting in the countryside rather than in a Santa Monica neighborhood just blocks from the boutiques on Montana Avenue. The house, completed in 2008, is constructed with 17th century limestone floors, Belgian bluestone details, elaborate ironwork and refitted antique doors. The living room, which features a fireplace with a floor-to-ceiling stone face, has twin sets of iron doors that open to a cobblestone courtyard and fountain.

At least three cars were damaged and a carport was destroyed in an early-morning fire in Westminster that investigators said was set by arsonists. Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority said the 3:30 a.m. fire in the 7400 block of Maple Avenue in Westminster was contained by firefighters and did not spread to an adjacent apartment complex.

Fire investigators blame arson for a Sept. 15 carport fire that scorched 18 vehicles and caused $200,000 in damage at the Grand Resort apartments on Broadway. Firefighters initially suspected an accident caused the blaze, because it started in a storage area. But officials said witness reports and other clues point to arson. "Fires are accidents until we determine otherwise," Anaheim Fire Investigator Mike Doty said. "You can't determine a fire was intentionally set until you have evidence.