Number of L.A. arson fires up to 41

A passerby inspects damaged cars following an overnight fire started by a suspected serial arsonist on December 30, 2011 in Hollywood, California. / FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Firefighters and emergency crews had a very busy New Year's Eve as relentless arson fires continued, with at least six more in or around the West Hollywood and Hollywood areas.

The fires started in cars - similar to dozens of fires set on Friday and earlier Saturday, bringing the total number of fires now linked to arson at 41.

A $60,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.

Arsonist puts Los Angeles on edge for New Year's
Cops race to stop Hollywood-area arson car fires

"Flames were on the hood of the car and it started catching onto the building," witness Rod Smith, who drove by at the time a fire started on Fountain Avenue near Mansfield Avenue Saturday evening, told CBS Station KCBS.

Arson investigators arrived on the scene in time to collect evidence, including a pair of black gloves that were found under the front of a car.

Moments later - and just one block away - neighbors said a glow come from underneath another car in a carport.

"They're looking at each one of these individually and then they are looking at them as a whole, as an umbrella to see how they all relate," Capt. Jaime Moore of L.A. City Fire said.

Although Moore would not confirm it, the common cause of the fires may be a device placed underneath the car.

"Our arson investigators are doing everything to canvas these fire scenes and take anything that looks suspicious away with them," Moore added.

KCBS correspondent Edward Lawrence said that police have already questioned three people about the arson attacks but no arrests have been made.

Elsewhere in Glendale, two fires were reported within minutes of each other. It's unclear if these fires are at all related to the arson attacks.

[venusvegasvada]

Whoever is doing this is the ultimate coward. Somebody out there knows who this person is. TURN THEM IN before some child or family gets burned to death. What is the matter with you? TURN THEM IN.

[credibility2]

Unfortunately, once apprehended, these disgusting criminals will never be held to real justice where they reimburse the loss to its victims, and reimburse the cost to fight the fires. Only in our system are criminals allowed to be given the benefit of the doubt, when they committed criminal acts where they decided their victims were guilty and deserved their actions.

[Transatlantique]

This makes me feel safer that I moved from there 23 years ago, but the world was only slightly different then. I feel that a lot of this kind of thing is as a result of a machination oriented society that game playing has brought out. There is a loss of reality with those horrible video games that has possibly led to this. There is some psychological gratification in what these or that person(s) have done, and it will be a sad day when they are shown what they did and how it effected others.

[take_a_number]

The degeneration of society?

[ForsythKid]

Why am I not surprised that this is happening in LA LA land.

[smartasss1]

ForsythKid: happy new year to you too.

[Transatlantique]

It can happen anywhere, but remember that America has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and it is a result of our violent American culture.