Woman arrested in West Hollywood arson

A woman suspected of setting fire to a West Hollywood apartment as a result of a fight between herself and an ex-roommate has been arrested on attempted murder charges in connection with the blaze, officials said.

Samantha Scarano, 25, was being held Tuesday on $1.25 million bail in connection with the fire in the 1400 block of North Sweetzer Avenue. The fire, which broke out shortly before 2 a.m. on March 4, forced about 50 people to evacuate the apartment building, burned two units and caused about $300,000 in damage, authorities said.

It took 30 firefighters about 20 minutes to knock down blaze, but no one was hurt, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mark Savage said.

Authorities said they received word after the fire that Scarano was at a business in the West Hollywood area. She was arrested Monday without incident, they said.

A L.A. County Sheriff's Department spokesman said Tuesday that the investigation is continuing.

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-- Matt Stevens
twitter.com/mattstevenslat

Map: Approximate location of incident is shown in black and recent crime reports are in brown and red. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Photo: Samantha Scarano. Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department