Video shows an intruder breaking a window and using a liquid accelerant to start a fire in the Thousand Oaks clinic but the sprinkler system quelled the flames

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Police and fire investigators are combing through a charred and water-logged Planned Parenthood clinic near Los Angeles after a nighttime arson attack.



An intruder broke a window and used a liquid accelerant to start a fire on the ground floor of the two-storey structure in Thousand Oaks late on Wednesday, just six weeks after the abortion provider was vandalised.

A sprinkler system doused the flames, averting serious fire damage but covering the floor with several inches of water, forcing it to remain closed on Thursday.

The attack came amid a political storm over Planned Parenthood triggered by a series of videos posted online by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, which has accused the healthcare provider of profiting from the sale of foetal tissue.

The group’s president, Cecile Richards, denied the accusation in a charged congressional hearing on Tuesday, when Republicans renewed attempts to cut its public funding.

Vandalism caused minor damage to the clinic at Thousand Oaks, north-west of LA, six weeks ago. The attack on Wednesday night was more serious.

“We responded last night at 11.28 to an alarm. When we arrived at the scene we found the sprinkler activated, a broken window and something that smelled like gasoline inside the structure,” said Captain Mike Lindbery, of the Ventura County fire department.

Captain John Reilly, of the Ventura County sheriff’s department, said surveillance video recovered from the scene showed one individual breaking a window.

“There may have been more individuals but in the video we could just see one. That individual broke the window with a rock and threw in liquid accelerant, and then ignited the accelerant,” he said, adding that the most common accelerant is gasoline.

Kim Custer, Planned Parenthood’s executive vice-president of healthcare, said in a statement that the organisation had been bracing for possible physical attacks.

“Due to the recent campaign of false attacks against Planned Parenthood, we have increased security measures over the last couple of months to ensure that both our patients and staff continue to be completely safe. While this extremism is deeply troubling, our focus is on providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the millions of women, men and young people across the country who rely on us.”

Jenna Tosh, the head of Planned Parenthood in the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo, which stretch north of LA, said the Thousand Oaks clinic offered a wide range of services to more than 7,000 patients each year. “We are currently assessing the amount of damage caused by this attack and are determined to reopen as soon as possible to serve the healthcare needs of our patients.”

Planned Parenthood receives about $500m a year in government funding, most coming from Medicaid payments and grants. Medicaid is the US social health programme for those on low incomes.

Federal funding cannot be used to perform abortions except when it endangers a woman’s life or is the result of incest or rape, but that does not appease pro-life groups and Republicans who say Planned Parenthood acts more as a political advocacy group.

The latest row over Planned Parenthood erupted in July when the anti-abortion group the Center for Medical Progress released the first in a series of surreptitiously recorded videos purportedly showing the group breaking federal laws barring for-profit foetal tissue sales.

In her testimony to Congress this week Richards said the group has done nothing illegal and that the videos were deceptively edited.

Amelia Bonow, a Seattle woman who expressed solidarity with Planned Parenthood by announcing on Facebook that she had an abortion, has gone into hiding after her address was posted online.