Melanie Eversley

USA TODAY

Authorities in Los Angeles have arrested a homeless man in the suspected arson deaths of five people, the police department said Tuesday.

Police took Johnny Sanchez, 21, of Los Angeles into custody and are holding him on $1 million bail.

Sanchez's arrest is in connection with a fire that took place Monday in an abandoned office building near downtown Los Angeles.

Police found the bodies of one man on Monday and two women and two men on Tuesday and say Sanchez was in the building when the fire broke out. The four bodies recovered on Tuesday were found with the help of cadaver dogs, the Los Angeles Times reported.

All of the victims appeared to be transients, according to various reports.

The two-story green commercial structure once housed an acupuncture clinic

The building, on the edge of Los Angeles' Koreatown, was considered empty, but residents told the Associated Press that they frequently saw homeless people coming in and out.

One witness, Joseph Chang, told the Times he saw homeless people climbing out of the building and down ladders after the fire trucks arrived.