[symple_googlemap title=”MV strip mall fire” location=”28750 block of Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo,CA” height=”300″ zoom=”16″]
An arson fire behind a strip mall in Mission Viejo destroyed two cars Wednesday, some mature trees and other vegetation, investigators said.
The blaze in the 28750 block of Marguerite Parkway, where it torched a Lexus and a Ford Focus before spreading to large trees and a half-acre of grass, was reported shortly after midnight, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.
After the cars burned, flames began to run up the nearby hill toward Capistrano Valley High, but firefighters were able to knock them down before they reached the school, he said.
It took 20 firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the flames, Concialdi said, adding that they remained on the scene until about 2:30 a.m. to clear away some of the damage.
No one was injured in the blaze and no buildings caught fire.
OCFA experts said arson is to blame for the fire, and they will be looking for whoever is responsible.
“Our OCFA fire investigators have determined this was arson — this fire was intentionally set,” Concialdi said.
OCFA is asking for the public’s help to apprehend whoever is responsible for setting the fire. Anyone with information about the crime is being asked to call fire investigators at (714) 573-6720.
—City News Service