A 27-year-old woman is due in court Monday on charges that she set a fire at the Target store at the Burbank Empire Center.
Burbank police and fire personnel responded at approximately 11 p.m. March 29 to reports of a fire inside the store in the 1800 block of Empire Avenue, near the Golden State (5) Freeway, according to the Burbank Police Department.
Personnel from both agencies discovered that all customers and employees were safely evacuated upon their arrival, with firefighters immediately responding to extinguish the flames.
The fire caused extensive damage to the store, which included loss of merchandise, smoke contamination and structural damage, but no serious injuries were reported.
“Estimated losses are currently in the millions of dollars, and the store remains closed for repairs,” the police department said in a statement.
During a “comprehensive investigation,” investigators interviewed several witnesses, canvassed for evidence and collected and reviewed surveillance video, authorities said. The fire had originated in the store’s bedding section and was believed to have been set by a woman.
Stephanie Irene Mendoza of San Fernando was located Monday at the Extended Stay America hotel next to the Burbank Empire Center and identified as the suspect. She was taken into custody without incident and booked on suspicion of felony arson.
Mendoza was being held on $140,000 bail at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, according to online inmate records.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the BPD Investigations Division at 818-238-3210.