Suspect Arrested In Fire That Scorched 5 Hermosa Beach Homes

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — Police arrested a man suspected of starting a fire that badly damaged five homes on The Strand and injured one firefighter Thursday morning.

Hermosa Beach Police arrested Michael Christopher Kotva, 27, who was found near the scene of the two-alarm fire early Thursday morning. Investigators said he was found running from the scene. He was charged with arson and booked at the Hermosa Beach Police Department jail, HBPD said.

Los Angeles County Fire Department arson investigators will lead the investigation into the cause of the fire, which damaged a three-story home under construction in Hermosa Beach before spreading to four other nearby homes.

"We thank our Los Angeles County firefighters for their quick response and our neighboring cities for their assistance," said Hermosa Beach Mayor Stacey Armato. "Our hearts go out to the families whose homes were damaged, and our team will be working with them to determine the safety of their homes. City staff will also be working with the contractor at the home construction site to determine what is needed to secure that site."

The fire was reported shortly before 2 a.m. in the 800 block of The Strand, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported. About 75 firefighters responded to the fire, which was knocked down before 3 a.m., but they remained on the scene throughout the morning, extinguishing hot spots and inspecting the damage, the City of Hermosa Beach said.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury, and was treated at a hospital, said county fire Inspector Brian Stevens. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Stevens said Hermosa Beach police detained a "person of interest" who was running from the area early Thursday morning, and he was being questioned by authorities.

"It's not unusual for someone to possibly stick around in an arson case," Stevens told ABC7. "Right now, this is under investigation, it's not deemed an arson yet. But, the L.A. County Fire Department Arson Unit does have someone detained, and they are going to be questioning him on the cause."

Video from the scene showed flames on nearby homes. Four homes were damaged and some about six residents were briefly evacuated, Stevens said.

City News Service contributed to this post