The California Conference of Arson Investigators

Arson investigators from all over the state made their way to Fresno, a city 220 miles north of Los Angeles. A customer noticed smoke rising up in the northwest corner of the building before it erupted into violent flames that quickly spread along the walls and ceiling. The point of origin for the Hancock Fabrics Fire was identified as a storage bin filled with styrofoam pellets. Investigators found an incendiary device made from a partially burned cigarette with three matches attached to a fire rubber band. Despite the similarities, the fires in Tulare and Fresno were not immediately linked.