A Granada Hills man accused of being a “serial arsonist” is facing serious charges in connection with fires at a Canoga Park gentlemen’s club and an electrical vault in the Los Angeles Fashion District.
Cyrus Farsad, 47, has been charged with two counts of arson and arson of a structure, all felonies, in the series of fires that began in early March, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said. If found guilty, he faces up to 14 years and four months in prison.
Prosecutors said Farsad was responsible for setting fire to an electrical safe in a Fashion District warehouse on March 2, and that he returned to do so again six days later. Minor damage was caused after the fire spread to the warehouse, but no one was injured.
Prosecutors said Farsad set fire to the gentlemen’s club on March 5, causing burn, heat and smoke damage. The club was closed and no one was injured.
Farsad pleaded not guilty Thursday and bail was set at $200,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 7.
“Serial arsonists pose a serious threat to our communities. They threaten property, livelihoods and put lives at risk,” L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a news release. “This conduct will not be tolerated.”
The LA Fire and Police Departments are continuing to investigate.
Thomas Raymond, chief of the LA Fire Department’s Arson Counter-Terrorism Section, said in a statement, “Serial arson is not a property crime. It is a direct threat to civilian life and to every firefighter we send to stop it.”
