$265,000 in Damage Caused by Olive Avenue House Fires

A fire that quickly ripped through a duplex and house on West Olive Avenue earlier this week caused approximately $265,000 in damage, a fire official said Saturday.

The cause of the fire is still unknown but investigators determined it broke out in the garage of the duplex at 533 W. Olive and quickly spread to the homes, Fire Chief Christopher Donovan said in an email Saturday.

The presence of off-road vehicles in the garage helped fuel the fire and speed it up, according to Donovan.

"Heavy loading within the garage, along three dirt bikes, and three desert off-road gas tanks with approximately three gallons of fuel (according to witness statements) quickly accelerated the fire," Donovan wrote. "All the fuel cans, and a majority of the contents were destroyed in the fire."

Damage at the duplex totalled $140,000 in property damage and contents destroyed, Donovan said. The home that caught fire sustained $125,000 in total damages, he said. None of the buildings are a total loss, he said.

The first-alarm fire erupted Thursday afternoon and was battled by about two dozen firefighters from the Monrovia, Arcadia and Pasadena fire departments. It displaced 11 adults and one child, along with three dogs and two cats, according to Donovan.

Investigators have ruled out electrical problems as a potential cause but they do not know the cause beyond that. It started in the southwest corner of the garage, but the exact point of origin remains unknown, Donovan said.