As firefighters finish mopping up the now contained Marek Fire that consumed 4,824 acres, investigations continue into the cause. The Daily News finds that officials have found at least one lead that they are looking into: "Arson investigators have said they found something suspicious near the fire's ignition point -- a shooting range in Little Tujunga Canyon in the Angeles National Forest -- but details of their findings have not been publicly released." A cursory......

AP Photo/Mike Meadows Officials at a press conference say that many of the fires igniting across the region, including the original Marek/Little Tujunga Fire, look suspicious and are still under investigation. Fire and police are asking for any suspicious activity to be reported to police (license plate numbers are especially helpful). The Marek Fire began on Sunday morning around 2:00 a.m., has burned 3700 acres and was downgraded from 20% to 5% contained. 1200......

After four bodies were discovered in a home that was on fire, investigators concluded that the mother and her three daughters had suffered trauma before the fire occurred. A murder investigation ensued, but shortly after, Corey King, 18, turned himself in to Sheriff's detectives after hearing on TV they were looking for him. At first, he was reportedly just in for questioning and not a suspect. But by early this morning, reports stated he was......

The "Lost Fire" in Agoura Hills last Tuesday was under investigation by LA County Sheriff's after they found evidence of arson. The case soon was solved after the responsible parties turned themselves in. "Two juveniles have confessed to accidentally starting an 80-acre brush fire near Malibu Creek State Park while playing with fireworks, a sheriff's lieutenant said Thursday," reported the Associated Press. Witnesses told police earlier that they saw two boys running from the fire......

On Saturday, known arsonist Gary Allen Lintz was arrested on suspicion of starting that day's fire. But yesterday in court, he was charged with setting all the fires in the park since July 27. The 43-year-old transient pleaded not guilty to the July fire and the multiple fires he allegedly set on August 4, 16 and 23. "The criminal complaint alleges great bodily injury to a firefighter - who was hurt while fighting the Aug.......

A small brush fire that began early last night is under investigation for the possibility of murder and arson. The fire near the Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon was first reported at 6:27 p.m. and burned three to four acres before being knocked down at 7:08 p.m., according to LA County Fire over the phone. Firefighters noticed a vehicle in the fire and upon further investigation, found a dead body inside. Calls made to......

A firefighter hoses down a hillside, where a 75-acre brush fire threatened several homes in Agoura Hills today (AP Photo/Nick Ut) The Agoura Hills brush fire, now known as the "Lost Fire," grew to 75 acres before firefighters knocked it down at 4:30 p.m., according to Brendon Peart, Supervising Fire Dispatcher for LA County Fire. No people or structures were damaged and all evacuations were voluntary. Peart said LA County Sheriff's are investigating the......

After Saturday's fire, undercover arson investigators patrolling the park arrested Gary Allen Lintz, a 43-year-old Glendale transient who was already under probation for arson, according to officials. It is believed he was responsible for the series of park fires lit last week, but he was only charged for Saturday's fire when arrested. Saturday's fire burned approximately 3 acres and took around an hour to knockdown, according to the LA Times.......

The Griffith Park Fire in 2007 | Photo by Atwater Village Newbie Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the district that has Griffith Park within it, is meeting up with residents and hikers in two meetings tonight to discuss the seven fires that were lit at the park this past weekend. Arson is suspected. “We need the public to be our eyes and ears in the park,” said the Councilmember in a statement. “These fires......

The multiple fires at Griffith Park were 100% contained at 7 PM last night, according to an alert sent out by the Los Angeles Fire Department this morning. A total of five fires on the northern side of the park began within two hours of each other yesterday afternoon burning approximately 50 acres. Arson is suspected. One firefighter was hospitalized with non-life-threatening facial injuries after being struck with hose fittings whe battling a fire.......

Photo by Long Beach Fire Department Two 22-year-old men have been arrested on suspicion for setting 26 fires over a two-week period which began June 30 when 14 arson fires set throughout the night and into the early morning. Officials used a surveillance tape from an AM/PM mini-mart to identify the suspects. "There were fires found in trashcans and dumpsters, fires caused by placing combustibles, such as old mattresses against garage doors. There were......

The Long Beach Fire Dept.'s Arson Division is searching for suspects on the city's west side where more than a dozen small fires were started late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. "With the time of day and the close proximity to residences, any of these fires could have turned into something far more serious, even fatal," said LBFD Batallion Chief Frank Hayes. Fires were set to vehicles and in trash cans although no serious damage was......

View Larger Map A wildfire broke out in various places this morning around 1:00 a.m. in Banning, 85 miles east of Los Angeles. Last reports state that it has grown to at 75 acres with 130 firefighters responding to battle the blaze. "In Northern California 13 fires have broken out in 72 hours. Homes and other structures have been destroyed, and evacuations are widespread," Warren Olney stated on KCRW's Which Way LA while asking if......

Federline family values: Fading pop diva and the ex-Mrs. K-Fed who sent law enforcement and the paparazzi into a tailspin last night has lost visitation rights to see her two sons, a court ruled today. Sole custody has been temporarily award to her babies' daddy, meanwhile, Britney remains involuntarily hospitalized. What is it going to take to get Ms. Spears back on track? The homicide tally for 2008 moves up another notch with the reporting......

The robbery spree of an OC couple in their twenties came to an end this week after a purse-snatching and pepper-spraying incident at a Wal-Mart. The two are also suspected of a robbery in Santa Ana, and were taken into custody after police stormed their Surf Cove home. Yesterday in Pomona Superior Court, the three white men accused of attempted murder, assault, and hate crime against a black man in Claremont last year were convicted......

The LA Times is reporting that the authorities have named 5 men as suspects in the arson case of the brush fires that tore through Malibu and burned over 50 homes beginning on November 24. The suspects were identified by sheriff's officials as Brian Allen Anderson, 22, William Thomas Coppock, 23, and Brian David Franks, 27, all of Los Angeles, and Eric Matthew Ullman, 18, and Dean Allen Lavorante, 19, both of Culver City, authorities......

Photo from Sunday's early morning fire on Dickens St. in Sherman Oaks Early Sunday morning, a fire started in a three-story Sherman Oaks apartment building that took the Los Angeles Fire Department 30 minutes to knockdown. At the scene, all residents were outside, talking amongst each other and hugging before first and second story tenants were allowed to return to their units 90 minutes later. A 40-year-old woman was sent to the hospital for......

Welcome to Hollywood Today, an LA City commission voted recommending that Charles Bukowski's former home to be designated a historic cultural monument. Yay books and reading! According to state representative Fabian Nunez, who represents the Downtown LA area, the biggest crisis we're facing today is foreclosures. ""It's a more immediate crisis," he told the AP. Meanwhile, protests are beginning to hit the streets over this. Drink up! It's the holidays! Caroline on Crack has......

"Human activity" is what the LA Times is reporting is the cause of the fires. That's arson if it wasn't an accident. The most destructive fire in Malibu in nearly 15 years raced through parched canyons Saturday, consuming 49 homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. The so-called Corral fire burned 4,700 acres before the fierce Santa Ana winds died down, allowing firefighters to make a stand. By evening, the blaze, which......

Last week's devastating Agua Dulce/Santa Clarita Valley wildfire was started accidentally by a "male juvenile" playing with matches, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department announced Tuesday. The Buckweed Fire blackened over 38,000 acres, destroyed more than 60 structures, and led to an estimated $7.4 million in damages. On October 22, one day after the blaze began, a detective questioned a "boy" who "admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," according to the Sheriff's......

Can we please do the OPPOSITE of adding fuel to these fires? A Sun Valley day laborer has been charged with arson after he was caught attempting to start a blaze in the Woodland Hills area earlier this week. Do you use your cell phone? Of course you do. The future of this important device lies in the hands of visionaries, such as the ones who are attending MobileCampLA on Sunday. And you too......

As firefighters sought to contain the smoldering remains of California, officials are keying in on how the fires started. One of the largest fires, the Santiago fire that burned 22,000 acres was, reportedly set by an arsonist. President Bush toured parts of California and declared, "We're not going to forget you in Washington D.C." I guess he didn't visit any poor children. There's at least one good story to come out of this tragedy.......

Hide the knives, Joan Didion: the Santa Anas are coming! The Santa Anas are coming! The new assistant director over at the Los Angeles branch of the FBI has experience in the domestic terror, white-collar crime, and foreign relations divisions; he has also spent time in Mexico City as an FBI legal attache. This week's Sign of the Apocalypse: kids as young as thirteen and fourteen are now getting into the paparazzi business. We......

Anti-war protesters have been gathering in Downtown Los Angeles this afternoon; the CHP has blocked off two ramps on the 101 because of the protest. Huge meat recall: Topps Meat Company is recalling over 20 million pounds of hamburger patties that may be infected with e.coli: more than a dozen people have gotten sick. The man who threatened Tom Cruise with extortion for stolen wedding pictures was found dead in his home, an apparent......

2008 Burning Man Art Theme announced, The American Dream....

On August 28th at 2:58AM PDT, just as the moon disappeared from the shadow of the earth, David Paul Addis fired a flare at The Man resulting in a premature burning of the festival's icon. The San Francisco man faces a felony arson charge in connection with the fire. Addis claims that he is the sole surviving member of the satirical group, Black Rock Intelligence, or "the CIA of Burning Man". Addis plans to......

Los Angeles is a hoops hotbed. Three professional basketball teams play at Staples and three local colleges made it to last year's Big Dance. But just because some of the players come from around the country and overseas, don't think LA needs to poach outside talent. The city boasts an amazing legacy of high school basketball. Local courts are responsible for current pro stars like Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, Paul Pierce and Jordan Farmar. Many......

125 firefighters and five water-dropping helicopters are attacking a fire that is being fanned by 10 MPH winds. Captain Antoine McKnight was on KCAL news a few minutes ago saying that approximately 30 acres have burned. The Griffith Park Zoo, the golf course, the observatory, the boys camp, the merry-go-round, the magnet school, the Gene Autry museum have all been evacuated. Later when pushed by KCAL anchors, he pushed the estimate of damage to......

Spector jury includes TV producer, film VP, mayoral staffer Apparently the producer, who works for Dateline NBC had to do research on Spector's story for months but hadn't formed an opinion on whether the Puff Haired Svengali was guilty or innocent. Maybe the producer will write a tell all book when the trial is over and the film exec will option the rights for a movie. American Black Film Festival relocating from Miami to......

#8 Woman pissed off that she got the wrong change sets an Orange County Walgreens on fire with her cigarette. Quoth store employee Harry Ambriose: "You see flames all over the store, smoke all over the store, it was crazy...I smelled smoke in the cooler and I was like, 'What's going on? What’s going on?' Ran out and I see big black smoke all over the store, black on the ceiling, black everywhere...She just......