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Johnny Sanchez,
21, who was himself believed to have been homeless, was arrested
on suspicion of murder, Los Angeles police spokesman Mike Lopez
said in a phone interview.
Los Angeles police Captain William Hayes told reporters on
Tuesday that Sanchez's intent in lighting the fire was to kill
at least one other person living in the vacant two-story office
building.
It took more than two hours for firefighters to put out the
massive blaze on Monday night, fire officials said in a
statement.
As they were extinguishing the flames, firefighters found the
body of one person who they believed to be homeless, and another
injured victim who was rushed to a hospital, the statement said.
On Tuesday, a team with search dogs combed through the charred
ruins of the structure and discovered the bodies of four more
apparently homeless people, raising the death toll to five, the
statement said.
Helicopter news footage of the fire's aftermath from an NBC
affiliate television station showed most of the building's roof
caved in, with blackened debris spread out all along the second
floor.
Firefighters have not released the names of the victims.
It was not immediately clear if Sanchez had obtained an
attorney.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and
Sandra Maler)
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