Latest Arson Headlines
All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.
DNA, Hot Line Lead to Arrests in Texas Church Fires
Feb 23 2010 // Investigators say DNA evidence collected at the site of one of several Texas churches destroyed by arson links one of two suspects to the blaze, and they haven’t ruled out more charges. Jason Robert Bourque, 19, and...
Mississippi Charges Vicksburg Man with Arson of 10 Buildings, 2 Vehicles
Feb 10 2010 // Mississippi officials have charged a Vicksburg man with arson involving 10 buildings and two vehicles. A joint investigation between the Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Vicksburg Fire Department and the...
Man Arrested in Massachusetts Arson Spree
Jan 6 2010 // Authorities have made an arrest in connection with a fire in Northampton, Massachusetts that claimed the life of an elderly man and his son. District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said in a statement that 25-year-old Anthony...
Kentucky Couple Charged with Arson in House Fire
Dec 30 2009 // A central Kentucky couple have pleaded not guilty to charges that they damaged their rental home by intentionally setting it on fire. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that 31-year-old Debra Poole and 29-year-old...
Plea Deal Reached in Pennsylvania Steel Town Arson Case
Nov 24 2009 // A former assistant fire chief accused of setting two small fires in an arson-plagued steel town near Philadelphia has worked out a plea bargain freeing him from jail. A Chester County judge says the deal for Robert Tracey...
Fire Official Urges Georgia Churches to Be on Arson Watch
Nov 20 2009 // Georgia’s top fire official is urging churches to bolster security after two metro Atlanta churches were set on fire. Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine said officials are investigating...
Employee Charged with Arson in Virginia Pet Store Fire
Nov 19 2009 // An employee has been charged with arson in a weekend fire at a Roanoke, Virginia pet store that caused about $2 million in damage. Roanoke Fire Department spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury said 18-year-old Corey Brian Hite of...
Fires at West Virginia Cave Attraction Ruled Arson
Nov 18 2009 // Investigators say two fires that destroyed the Smoke Hole Caverns gift shop and restaurant in West Virginia were deliberately set. Grant County Sheriff’s Deputy S.L. Wratchford says items were found inside a trash...
Sausalito Man Pleads Guilty to Wine Warehouse Arson
Nov 17 2009 // A man who lived the high life in Sausalito pled guilty yesterday to setting a fire that destroyed a warehouse filled with 6 million bottles of wine and to selling wine he was supposed to be storing for customers. The value...
Second Fire at Historic Vermont General Store Ruled Arson
Nov 12 2009 // It was a heartwarming story: A 200-year-old general store suffers a fire, the owner can’t afford to rebuild it and the town’s historical society steps in to buy the building, hoping to make it the commercial...
California Reports 25% Jump in Auto Fraud Cases Linked to Arson
Nov 1 2009 // In the year 2008, there was a 25 percent increase in suspected vehicle arson fraud in California, according to the state. Commissioner Steve Pointer said that recently compiled statistics show that scam artists may be...
Arrests Made in Western Pennsylvania Arson Spree
Oct 29 2009 // Eight people have been arrested for more than a third of the 34 fires police say were intentionally set in the last two years in New Castle in western Pennsylvania. “Hopefully, we can rest a little easier now,...
Arson Case Prompts Heart-Attack Murder Charges
Oct 26 2009 // Prosecutors in California are charging a suspected arsonist with the murder of five people who died of heart attacks during a wildfire _ a potential capital offense in a region held hostage by fires. Six men died of a...
Arizona Man Sentenced for Town House Arson
Oct 22 2009 // A Phoenix man has been sentenced to 101/2 years in prison followed by three years probation for setting fire to his rented town house in 2007. Prosecutors say 55-year-old Robert Stuart Reed endangered the lives of 12...
Detroit Braces for Halloween Arson Spree
Oct 20 2009 // For the five years that the wood bungalow next door has been empty, Darlene Banks has kept an eye on it as Halloween approaches. She wasn’t expecting anyone to burn it weeks sooner. But the dilapidated house on...
Montana Man Charged with Arson Pleads
Oct 15 2009 // A Montana man charged with starting a string of fires that damaged a home and several vehicles in Billings has pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment. Sergio Nino, 22, entered the plea Tuesday as part of a deal...
California Environmental Extremist Arrested for 2006 Arson
Oct 5 2009 // Three years after the discovery of a failed incendiary device at a suburban Pasadena real estate construction site, FBI agents have used DNA analysis to arrest a man in Texas in a case they believe may involve...
Man Arrested for Setting Massive Fire in Bronx That Destroyed 6 Businesses
Oct 5 2009 // New York fire officials say a man has been arrested on arson charges in connection with a Bronx fire that caused $2 million in damage. The March blaze began in a business, called 21 Latin Lounge, which was undergoing...
California Fires Renew Push for National Arson Registry
Oct 5 2009 // The deadly fire at Angeles National Forest is renewing a push from California lawmakers for a national registry of convicted arsonists. Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have filed legislation that would...
Man Arrested for Setting Massive Fire in Bronx
Sep 24 2009 // New York fire officials say a man has been arrested on arson charges in connection with a Bronx fire that caused $2 million in damage. The blaze started March 22 at 122 Westchester Square in a business undergoing...
