Arson Suspect Arrested in Fatal West Hollywood Fire

A 53-year-old man was killed in the May 20 fire at an abandoned building on Santa Monica Boulevard

A man was arrested on suspicion of murder and arson Thursday in connection with a fatal fire at an abandoned building last week in West Hollywood.

The suspect in the May 20 fire was identified Friday as 35-year-old Andrew Clark. He is accused in the death of 53-year-old Eric Young, who was found by firefighters in the damaged building in the 9000 block of Santa Monica Boulevard.

Details regarding the investigation that led to the arrest were not immediately available. The case is expected to be presented to the district attorney's office for consideration of criminal charges next week, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Firefighters responded to the burning building, filled with mattresses and shopping carts, just after midnight on May 20. Young and woman were rescued from the fire, but Young later died at a hospital.

The site of the fire is also the planned location of the Melrose Triangle Project, a mixed use building plan intended to reinvigorate West Hollywood's Western Gateway. The project was approved last summer by the city council.

The Los Angeles Conservancy filed suit in September to stop the razing of the existing building, contending the former animal hospital with Depression-era streamline moderne architecture is a historical landmark that should be preserved.

Contact Us