Suspected arson causes extensive damage at Pasadena apartments

Pasadena and South Pasadena firefighters early Saturday extinguished a suspected arson fire in a Pasadena apartment building carport that destroyed two vehicles and heavily damaged three others and a building next door, causing about $200,000 in damage, a fire official said.

A passerby spotted flames behind a Trader Joe's and alerted firefighters, who arrived in the 600 block of South Marengo Avenue at 1:58 a.m. to find vehicles burning. They took about 15 minutes to put out the blaze, said Lisa Derderian, a Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman.

About 20 residents were temporarily evacuated from the building, she said.

Derderian said arson investigators would seek surveillance footage from video cameras in the area.

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-- Martha Groves

Photo: A suspected arson fire was extinguished in a Pasadena apartment complex early Saturday September 8, 2012. Credit: Pasadena Fire Department