Huntington Beach fire, deemed suspicious, displaces 3 people

Investigators sought the public’s help on Monday, Dec. 17 in determining the cause of a suspicious fire last week in Huntington Beach that displaced three residents.

The blaze was reported at 7:13 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13 and scorched a house located at 16692 Wanderer Ln., according to Huntington Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric McCoy. Firefighters managed to put the fire out sometime before 8:45 p.m. and prevent it from spreading to other buildings. No serious injuries were reported, according to the department.

We are asking that anyone who has information regarding the fire that occurred on Thursday December 13th on Wanderer lane to please contact our Fire Investigation Unit at (714) 536- 5937 or Fireprevention@surfcity-hb.org pic.twitter.com/U6u7XKmRmb

— Huntington Beach FD (@HBFD_PIO) December 17, 2018

Authorities later found reason to suspect that the fire might not have been an accident, but did not provide further details regarding their investigation, said McCoy.

“Right now, we are classifying this fire as suspicious,” he said.

McCoy added that officials were reviewing surveillance footage and following up on tips from the community on Monday. The Huntington Beach Fire Department has asked anyone with information that might help officials piece together what led up to conflagration to contact their investigators at 714-536-5837 or FirePrevention@surfcity-hb.org.