Compton Bulletin hit by fire

The weekly's offices will be closed for about two weeks but publication will continue uninterrupted, says editor Allison Jean Eaton. The cause remains unclear. She writes about getting an unexpected call on Jan. 2.

It was acting Battalion Chief Vince Capelli of the Compton Fire Department, and he wasn’t calling just to say hello. He didn’t have good news. He told me that the department had just put out a fire at the newspaper’s office. Although I heard him clearly, I was thrust into an immediate sense of disbelief, shock and panic...

I couldn’t help but think about the cause of the blaze and whether it might be arson. There likely are a few people out there who very much dislike The Bulletin and would be nothing less than pleased if we were to lose our office or be forced to leave the city, and I just couldn’t help but wonder.

Damage is expected to total about $30,000.