Latest Arson Headlines
All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Six Arrested in $900K Insurance Fraud Scheme Involving 30 Virginia Fires
Mar 13 2017 // Virginia prosecutors say six people have been arrested for their alleged roles in an insurance fraud scheme that involved setting 30 fires. Federal prosecutors say the defendants over the course of 16 years set fire to...
Arson Fire Set to Second Florida Mosque in Past 6 Months
Feb 27 2017 // An intentionally set fire damaged a prayer hall at a Tampa-area mosque early Friday, investigators said. The arson occurred at the Islamic Society of New Tampa, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said in a news release. Fire...
Woman Arrested in Connection with 28 California Fires
Feb 23 2017 // A 24-year-old woman has been arrested in connection to 28 fires set throughout the city of Fullerton, Calif., since September. The Orange County Register reports that the woman was arrested after investigators found her...
Miss Kentucky USA Runner-Up Pleads Not Guilty to Arson Charge
Feb 23 2017 // Miss Kentucky USA runner-up has pleaded not guilty to an arson charge, accused of setting her roommate’s bed on fire at an apartment complex near the University of Louisville. WAVE-TV reports 22-year-old Christen...
ATF: South Texas Mosque Fire Was Arson
Feb 20 2017 // A fire that destroyed a South Texas mosque has been ruled arson, but federal investigators found no early evidence of a hate crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Houston did not reveal the...
South Texas Mosque Fire Ruled Arson
Feb 10 2017 // A fire that destroyed a South Texas mosque has been ruled arson, but there’s no evidence of a hate crime at this time, federal investigators said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Houston...
Springfield, Missouri Man Accused of Arson Spree
Feb 6 2017 // A Springfield, Mo., man who has been accused of a spree of fires in cars and trash containers near a low-income housing complex told police he can’t stop himself from setting the blazes, at times just to watch the...
Man Charged with Setting New York Apartment Building on Fire
Jan 24 2017 // Authorities say they’ve charged a 63-year-old man with setting a fire in an apartment building in Buffalo, leaving 18 people homeless. Fire officials say the fire was set around 5 a.m. Saturday in a multi-unit...
Ex-Fire Company Treasurer in Pennsylvania Charged with Stealing Nearly $400K
Nov 21 2016 // A former Pennsylvania volunteer fire company treasurer who received a $400 annual stipend has been accused of stealing nearly 1,000 times that much from the organization. Fifty-one-year-old Agnes Patterson, of Hellertown,...
Tennessee Man Charged With Arson After Torching Business for Insurance
Nov 14 2016 // Authorities have charged a restaurant owner in Lewis County, Tenn., with setting fire to his business for the insurance money. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Thursday that Nick Spicer set fire to Nick and...
Wildfires Rage Throughout Southeast States, Arson Suspected
Nov 14 2016 // Wildfires near the Georgia-North Carolina line are spewing smoke so thick that residents are being urged to wear special masks if they must do outdoor activities. The fires – many of them suspected arsons – have...
5 Boys Charged with Arson in Connecticut Fires
Nov 10 2016 // Authorities say five boys have been arrested in connection with two fires in Norwich last month. Police say four 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old face charges that include second-degree arson and first-degree criminal...
Man Gets 34-Year Sentence for Arson Fires in South Dakota
Nov 7 2016 // A man accused of starting two fires in Madison, S.D., has been ordered to serve 34 years in prison. Authorities say 25-year-old Travis Smith Jr. started fires in the apartment building where he lived and in a convenience...
Hanover Accuses Memphis Recording Studio of Insurance Fraud After Arson Fire
Oct 30 2016 // An insurance company that paid more than $2.8 million in claims after an arson fire damaged an historic Memphis music recording studio has now accused a rock music label company of fraud and wants its money back. The...
Arson Suspected in Several Recent Connecticut Fires
Oct 28 2016 // Police and fire investigators say a string of fires in Norwich, Conn., recently appear to be arson and are looking for the person or people responsible. The latest blaze occurred Monday night at the former YMCA building on...
Topeka, Kansas, Investigating High Number of Arson Fires
Oct 27 2016 // Authorities from several agencies are investigating a higher-than-expected number of arson fires in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 57 blazes have been intentionally set this year. That’s about 21...
Rash of Property, Auto Fires in Arkansas Town Thought to Be Arson
Sep 27 2016 // Police in Helena-West Helena, Ark., say six separate fires that caused about $120,000 in property damage are being investigated as arson. The first occurred on Friday close to a public housing development where...
Man Charged in New Jersey Apartment Fire That Destroyed Three Buildings
Sep 23 2016 // A 19-year-old has been charged with setting his former New Jersey home ablaze, leaving four firefighters hurt, three buildings destroyed and 20 residents displaced. The Jersey Journal reports a criminal complaint says...
Suspect Confesses to Arson at Mosque Of Orlando Nightclub Shooter
Sep 16 2016 // An ex-convict who posted anti-Islamic rants online confessed to setting fire to a mosque that the Orlando nightclub shooter occasionally attended, and said he was embarrassed by the crime, according to an arrest affidavit...
Rhode Island Fire Marshal Offers $5K Reward for Information on July Arson Fires
Aug 25 2016 // East Providence, R.I., police and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office are offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of whoever was responsible for two arson fires last month. Det....
