Santa Fe Springs carport fire: 12 vehicles destroyed, 5 others damaged in inferno

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) -- Twelve vehicles were destroyed and five others were damaged in an early morning fire on Thursday at an apartment complex in Santa Fe Springs.

Firefighters responded about 1:30 a.m. to a blaze in a carport in the 9300 block of Pioneer Boulevard, according to the Santa Fe Springs Fire Department. The flames were extinguished within 30 minutes.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which burned 17 parked vehicles and caused the wooden carport to partially collapse. Five of those vehicles sustained damage such partially melted bumpers, and the heat from the inferno also melted the top of a felled light pole.

A witness said he and his girlfriend, fearful that the flames might spread to nearby buildings, knocked on doors of apartments in an effort to alert residents.

"The fire goes to one car, to the next car, to the next car, to the next car," said the man, who gave his name only as Frank. As firefighters began arriving at the scene, he said, at least 10 vehicles "were already done -- they were already fried."

The cause of the incident was unknown. Arson investigators were summoned to the location.

Resident Adriana Gaeta, whose car was engulfed by the flames, said: "I don't want to speculate. I don't know what could've happened. My first reaction was, somebody may have thrown a Molotov cocktail."

Raelene Legarreta's vehicle, which she bought five months ago, was also destroyed.

"Most likely it's arson, so hopefully they figure all that out," Legarreta said.