Arson Suspected In Restaurant, Grocery Store Fires In Chinatown

LOS ANGELES — Authorities are investigating a possible arson after two commercial buildings in Chinatown caught fire overnight, officials said.

The first blaze broke out around 2 a.m. Wednesday at a two-story restaurant building in the 900 block of North Broadway while the second occurred shortly afterward at a grocery store building in the 800 block of North Broadway, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz.

Both fires were knocked down in a matter of minutes, according to Lantz, who said an arson investigator was assigned to the restaurant fire in the 900 block of North Broadway. The investigation is ongoing, Lantz told Patch Wednesday.

Police also responded around the same time to a report of someone lighting fires in the 900 block of North Broadway, but when they arrived, the person was gone, according to law enforcement.