Fullerton officials are looking for a woman in connection with a blaze that destroyed five vehicles in a carport Friday afternoon.
Fullerton Police officers responded to the blaze about 1:45 p.m. after being called by the Fullerton and Anaheim fire departments.
Responding officers found a large portion of the carport fully engulfed, police said.
Five vehicles were destroyed in the blaze and five others were damaged “as a result of the excessive heat emanating from the fire,” police said in a news release. The carport and a part of the apartment complex were also damaged in the fire.
“I just saw people running out here trying to get their valuables but my then it was already over here. The heat melting other cars so it was no possibility of getting anything,” said Ronald Moss, a witness.
Accelerant at the scene and an initial investigation determined the fire was intentionally set, police said.
Investigators believe Maria Angel Dejesus Rios was involved in setting the blaze and she is being sought for questioning.
Neighbors told KTLA Rios set the fire after a dispute with her boyfriend and they often see her hanging around the complex.
“She got mad at her boyfriend so she lit a cigarette up and she put it on the ground,” said Henri Diaz, a witness. “She walked away and the fire just, yeah.”
Anyone with information about Rios’ whereabouts can call Fullerton Police at 714-738-5336.
KTLA’s Mariel Turner contributed to this story.
