Roughly two months after fire ripped through Newhall’s historic downtown, four people are under arrest, accused of arson and conspiracy in the devastating blaze.
The Aug. 24 Old Town fire did more than $13 million damage, destroying a boutique, gastropub and theater, and leaving residents mourning the destruction of the heart of the Santa Clarita community.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Thursday that, earlier in the day, search warrants were served at four locations in the county and three men and one woman were arrested.
Two were men from Canyon Country: John Wright, 47, and Jesus Figueroa, 54, according to the statement. The El Monte residents were Cristian Leija, a 43-year-old man, and Antoinette Ruiz, a 35-year-old woman.
Deputy Daniel Dominguez said Thursday night that Wright was being held on $500,000 bail, while Figueroa and Leija were being held without bail. The three men are scheduled to appear at the San Fernando Courthouse on Nov. 2. Ruiz is also being held without bail, according to jail records. Her court date was unclear.
The fire took place in the early hours of Aug. 24. Detectives from the sheriff’s arson/explosives unit responded around 3 a.m. to the 24000 block of Main Street in Santa Clarita to investigate a “significant structure fire,” according to the statement.
The fire involved seven structures and caused about $13 million in property damage, according to the statement.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department told The Times the fire broke out inside an auto-body shop and spread to an adjoining building that contained several businesses.
In late September, KTLAreported that another fire had erupted in the same neighborhood. According to the station, the blaze began in the 24000 block of Railroad Avenue, near the intersection of Market Street.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the two fires were connected.
No details have been shared about a possible motive. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about the Main Street fire can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s arson/explosives unit at (323) 881-7500.
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