Cancer Center Hit by Possible Arson Fire

A suspected arson fire gutted the Santa Monica headquarters of the Wellness Community this weekend, forcing officials to seek temporary offices for the center, which offers counseling and support services to cancer patients throughout Los Angeles.

The Saturday morning blaze raced through the two-story house on 5th Street, where more than 10,000 people with cancer have sought help since the center opened in 1982. It took firefighters more than 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which was reported by a police patrolman shortly before 3:30 a.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but fire officials believe it may have been set by an arsonist.

“This is an enormous loss to us,� said Harold H. Benjamin, executive director and founder of the Wellness Community, a nationally known organization that also has centers in Redondo Beach, Orange County, San Diego and Knoxville, Tenn. “We have promised the participants in our program that we will continue to provide services and we will find a way to do that.�