Dive Brief:
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The cause of one of Los Angeles’ largest construction fires was arson, fire officials said Thursday.
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The block-long fire—which caused $30 million of damage—destroyed the unfinished, seven-story Da Vinci apartment complex where it started before igniting three nearby high-rise office buildings. No one was injured in the Dec. 8 fire.
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Investigators from the Los Angeles Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they have “sufficient evidence … to determine that the fire was intentionally set,” but have not arrested any suspects, Reuters reported.
Dive Insight:
Fire officials suspected arson even on the night when the 1.3 million-square foot complex burned because the fire spread so quickly. The blaze was so intense that it melted a sign on a nearby freeway and damaged some fiber-optic cables under the pavement.