Molotov Cocktail Responsible For Hayward Apartment Fire
HAYWARD (CBS SF) -- A fire that displaced a woman and her 8-year-old son from their Hayward home early Tuesday morning has been deemed an act of arson, a Hayward Fire Department spokesman said.
The one-alarm fire was reported at 3:59 a.m. at a three-bedroom apartment at 29163 Dixon St.
The mother and son were sleeping when the mother heard glass breaking, Hayward fire spokesman LaShon Earnest said.
She went into the living room and found a fire burning and saw that there was a roughly 12-inch hole in her front window, Earnest said.
When fire crews arrived, smoke and flames were coming from the apartment's windows. They opened up the roof to ventilate the blaze, and controlled the fire in six minutes, Earnest said.
Police and fire investigators determined the fire was arson after confirming that a Molotov cocktail had been thrown through the window, Earnest said.
The fire caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to the building and destroyed $20,000 in contents, he said.
The blaze initially aroused suspicion because of how quickly the flames spread and the discovery that an accelerant was used, Earnest said.
The case remains under investigation, he said.
No injuries were reported, and the American Red Cross was called in to help set up the displaced residents with temporary shelter.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
