Video captures arsonists igniting massive fire at South Los Angeles tire shop

Surveillance captured the moment arsonists ignited a massive fire at a tire shop in South Los Angeles.

On Aug. 2 at around 5 a.m., the suspects were seen arriving at Vermont Tires, a family-owned shop located in the 6900 block of Vermont Avenue.

Security video captured two men on bicycles throwing an object through a gate and onto a pile of tires. Flames suddenly exploded and continued growing before the suspects quickly fled the area.

“I’m imagining it might have been a gasoline-soaked rag,” said Misael Guevara, an employee at Vermont Tires, of the mystery object thrown by the arsonists. “I’m not too sure. I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.”

More than 100 tires, several parked cars and costly equipment were torched as the massive flames continued moving toward the walls of the tire shop. The flames eventually spread to an auto shop next door, Brothers Auto Repair. 

Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames before the main structure was destroyed.

Both businesses were devastated by the fire, which left a trail of costly damages behind.

“Including machines and tires, overall we’re looking at about $10,000 to $13,000 [in damage],” Guevara said. “That’s not including the mechanic side because they lost two vehicles and one of them alone is $20,000 because it was complete already.”

“It’s very devastating,” said Mirca Garcia, owner of Vermont Tires. “We’ve been a part of the community for 25-plus years. My mom and dad built the tire shop. They were affected tremendously and it’s a big financial loss.”

Both family-owned establishments were forced to shut down as they struggled to pick up the pieces while losing income from potential business.

“Today, we’re able to open but it’s not as it usually is because it’s a safety hazard for my dad and for the workers,” Garcia said.

The fire is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and arson investigators. 

The face of at least one of the arsonists was captured on security video. The shop owners are hoping the suspects will be caught soon before they destroy another home or business.

“We lost a lot of money and unfortunately so did our neighbors,” Guevara said. “We’re just trying to get back on our feet and run our business again.”

Two GoFundMe pages created to help the tire and auto body shops recover from the fire can be found here and here.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.