FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Arson Suspected in Fire at Three Stores

Forty firefighters battled a suspected arson fire that damaged three furniture stores early Sunday.

“It was one of the largest fires we’ve had in this area this year, but we were able to contain it within an hour,” said Paul Summers, Fire Department battalion chief.

The fire began at 2:40 a.m. near the San Diego Freeway and forced the shutdown of the Euclid Avenue off-ramp for almost an hour.

“We have reason to suspect arson was involved,” Summers said.

Investigators Sunday borrowed Jesse, a dog trained to detect evidence of arson, from the Fullerton Fire Department.

The fire caused more than $360,000 in damage to three businesses in the Euclid Avenue shopping district of more than a dozen furniture stores. No one was injured in the blaze.

The hardest hit was Ideal Furniture, which suffered more than $200,000 in damage to the building and $100,000 in damage to goods.

Two other, adjacent stores caught fire: A Kids Quarter and A Sleep Factory. Investigators estimated the damage to A Sleep Factory at more than $60,000.