Woman Charged With Arson In North Hollywood Fire Spree
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) – Authorities have charged a woman with arson in connection with a series of blazes that were set last month in a North Hollywood neighborhood.
Angela McWhirter, 35, was taken into custody on Oct. 23 on an unrelated outstanding warrant. Following her arrest, however, Los Angeles police detectives linked her to a series of early-morning blazes that had been set on Oct. 19. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged McWhirter with three felony counts of arson.
On Oct. 19, four fires were reported in the area of Irvine Avenue and Califa Street, near Oxnard Street, between 5:35 a.m. and 5:53 a.m. The fires spread to seven cars and multiple trees before Los Angeles Fire Department crews knocked down the flames. There were no injuries or significant structure damage.
It's unclear if McWhirter is being linked to any other suspicious fires in the area. On the evening of Oct. 20, a fire damaged a shed in the 11300 block of Kittridge Avenue, LAFD reported. That same night, a woman matching McWhirter's description approached a CBS2 news crew.
Then next day, firefighters also put out a blaze that burned four vehicles in a carport in the 12700 block of Burbank Boulevard in Valley Village. The fire extended into one unit of a four-story condominium complex.