Investigators say woman facing eviction torched 92-unit Fresno apartment complex; $1.2M damage

Woman facing eviction suspected in apartment blaze

FRESNO, Calif. — Investigators are looking for a woman facing eviction who is suspected of torching a 92-unit Fresno apartment complex, causing $1.2 million in damage.

Fire Department spokeswoman Shandra Solis says investigators have obtained a video of an explosion when the fire broke out in a ground floor apartment at dawn Wednesday. The spokeswoman wouldn’t say if the video was from a surveillance camera.

Twenty-eight apartments in the Griffith Gardens complex were damaged and 27 people have been displaced. No one was hurt.

Shelly Levy was notified last week that she would be evicted Wednesday morning. Sheriff’s spokesman Chris Curtice says authorities arrived to serve eviction papers around 8 a.m. and found firefighters extinguishing the blaze.

Information from: The Fresno Bee, www.fresnobee.com