Four people have been detained after a suspicious fire burned two vacant structures in Downey Monday morning.
Firefighters initially thought they were responding to one structure fire when the call came in about 2:30 a.m., said Downey Fire Department spokesman Dan Hurlock.
As they were battling the blaze firefighters noticed another fire about 200 yards away, Hurlock said.
The initial fire engulfed a residential building while Hurlock said the second blaze burned what he described as an “out building” to the ground.
The two structures were among several vacant buildings once used by the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center but are now owned by the county.
“There was nobody on scene. No bystanders on scene when crews arrived,” Hurlock said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies did later detain four people who will be questioned about the fire, which Hurlock said was suspicious.
No injuries were reported in the blaze.
The rehabilitation center was founded in 1888 in order to help families who could not afford medical services, according to its website.
Each year, the hospital provides care to approximately 4,000 inpatients and 71,000 outpatients, making it one of the largest rehabilitation centers in the nation.
