Two sisters killed in Hollywood house fire were victims of arson, police say

""Further investigation revealed that multiple additional fires were reported in close proximity during the same early morning time period, as well as a similar fire reported in the area in late January," a Los Angeles police official said at a police commission meeting Tuesday, according to KABC. On Feb. 4, a fire ignited around 3 a.m. on North Vista Del Mar Avenue and killed sisters Maria "Chelo" Vasquez, 76, and Yolanda Honda, 82, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department."

"According to a GoFundMe created to raise expenses, Vasquez was recovering from emergency hip surgery and Honda had moved in to become her caretaker. "In the early morning hours of the fire, as flames engulfed the home, Chelo was briefly seen on the porch," according to the GoFundMe. "Her final words to a neighbor were a testament to her heart: 'I need to go back and get my sister.' Neither emerged from the house.""

Police concluded the Hollywood house fire that ignited around 3 a.m. on Feb. 4 on North Vista Del Mar Avenue was arson. Multiple additional fires were reported in close proximity during the same early morning period and a similar fire occurred in late January. The blaze killed sisters Maria "Chelo" Vasquez, 76, and Yolanda Honda, 82. Vasquez was recovering from emergency hip surgery and Honda had moved in as her caretaker. A GoFundMe states Vasquez was briefly seen on the porch and told a neighbor she needed to go back for her sister. Vasquez died at the scene; Honda died at hospital after cardiac arrest. Vasquez's dog Coco remains missing.

Read at Los Angeles Times