California District Attorney
Bows Out of Library Arson Probe
Asserting that there is not enough evidence to charge anyone, the Alameda County (Calif.) district attorney’s office has announced it will not file criminal charges in the May 3 fire that caused $5.16 million in damages to the California State University/Hayward Library building. Within days of the fire, authorities had deemed the disaster a case of arson.
Public Safety Chief Antonio Alvarez confirmed in the September 1 Alameda Times-Star that campus authorities have narrowed their investigation to one person, although he would not reveal whether the individual was connected to the campus. He also volunteered that the fire began when an “open flame was touched to common combustibles found at the scene.”
Repairs to the building could take as long as two years to complete, although the library stacks reopened to patrons July 3 after a fire-alarm system was successfully tested.
Alvarez said campus investigators will continue to pursue the investigation.
Posted September 11, 2000.
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