Jail replica set fire by arsonist

DANNY MOLOSHOK GUTTED-City of Los Angeles firefighters remove charred and melted landscaping equipment from the Calabasas Jail replica after a fire on Monday. It's believed that arson caused the blaze.

The replica Calabasas Jail in Old Town Calabasas caught fire just after 3 p.m. on Monday. Sources said a witness reported two suspects throwing something into the building before it went up in flames. An official from the city of Los Angeles Fire Department said he couldn’t confirm arson as the cause of the fire, but said an active investigation was underway.

The fire didn’t burn long, according to Leonis Adobe Museum business manager Tammy Ennis. The structure is still standing.

"It was amazing how fast firefighters responded," Ennis said. She said someone at the Sagebrush Cantina next door called 911 and the Los Angeles City Fire Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived almost immediately and put out the flames.

According to a spokesman with the city of L.A. Fire Department, the emergency call was placed at 3:17 p.m. and the fire was extinguished by 3:27 p.m. The flames, the source said, were confined to the structure and there were no injuries. The financial loss is unknown.

The replica jail was built as part of Calabasas Creek Park and dedicated in 1994, according to Ennis. The structure, she said, was modeled after a 1902 picture of the original jail that stood 100 feet west of the current structure.

Ennis said the jail replica will be repaired.

–Michael Picarella