Norwalk : $20,000 Arson Reward Set

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for a fire that severely damaged the gymnasium at John H. Glenn High School last month.

The Norwalk City Council this week agreed to add $5,000 to the $5,000 offered by the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District and the $10,000 offered by the district’s insurance company, Industrial Indemnity. The fire caused about $1-million worth of damage, according to the latest estimates. Although school officials say much of the exterior gym structure can be saved, the building will need a new roof, a new interior and new equipment.

Officials have advanced various theories about the cause of the fire. They now speculate that the blaze started when a smoldering spark from a firecracker landed on a gym mat and later erupted into flames. Remnants of a firecracker were found in the gym and one was heard about 1 1/2 hours before the fire spread through the building, a district administrator said.