Officials investigate four early-morning car fires in Placentia and Brea

The Orange County Fire Authority is investigating whether two pairs of early-morning, back-to-back car fires in Placentia and Brea on Saturday, July 7, are related, officials said.

The first fire was reported about 1:57 a.m. in the area of East Palm Drive and Valencia Avenue in Placentia, Capt. Carlos Huerta said. Then, another car fire was reported about 2:30 a.m. two blocks west in the 5300 block of Cedarlawn Drive.

Fifteen minutes later in nearby Brea, firefighters responded to a vehicle on fire in a carport in the Crestmont Mobile Estates on Site Drive, said Lt. Kelly Carpenter of the Brea Police Department. Another car was on fire about 3:15 a.m. in the driveway of a residence in the 800 block of West Carob Street, he said.

All of the fires were quickly extinguished and no damage estimates were available. The causes of each were under investigation.

An OCFA spokesman confirmed the agency is investigating all four car fires, but did not have information on whether they have been determined to be related.

Carpenter said the matter has been handed over to OCFA arson investigators.

“Four (car fires) in a relatively small area between Placentia and us leads to some suspicion that they could be related, but at this point, it’s too early to tell,” he said.