Latest Arson Headlines
All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.
3 Alabama Teens Arrested for Starting Fires that Damaged 5 Structures
Nov 13 2017 // Authorities say a series of fires damaged five structures in Alabama and three teenagers have been charged. Sylacauga Police Chief Kelley Johnson told news outlets that authorities started receiving reports of fires...
Tennessee Fire Captain Arrested for Setting Own Home on Fire
Oct 31 2017 // Tennessee investigators say a captain with Nashville’s fire department was arrested on arson and insurance fraud charges for setting his home on fire on purpose. According to a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation news...
4 Volunteer Firefighters in Kentucky Face Arson Charges
Sep 6 2017 // A fire chief and three other volunteer firefighters are facing arson charges in Kentucky. Kentucky State Police said in a news release Friday that the arson charges stem from a fire in an empty building in Crofton on Aug....
Man Arrested, Suspected of Igniting Fire Near Hard-Hit California Town
Aug 31 2017 // Authorities on Aug. 30 arrested a man suspected of starting an illegal campfire believed to have ignited a growing Northern California blaze that destroyed 10 homes, damaged five others and threatened hundreds more. The...
Georgia Offers Reward of $10K for Information on 2 Arson Cases
Aug 10 2017 // A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information regarding separate fires that damaged two vacant homes last week in Walker County, Georgia, according to a statement from Georgia’s Deputy Insurance and...
Judge: Insurer Off the Hook for Payment in Ohio Arson Case
Aug 7 2017 // A judge has ruled that an insurance company doesn’t have to pay an Ohio man accused of burning down his house. The ruling came on July 14 in southwest Ohio’s Butler County in a civil lawsuit filed by the...
16 Vacant Homes Torched in Arson Fires in Missouri Town
Jul 27 2017 // Fire officials in the southeast Missouri town of Poplar Bluff are investigating a rash of arson fires at vacant homes. The Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic reports that 16 vacant houses have been set on fire since...
Philadelphia Fire Captain Facing Charges for Insurance Fraud
Jul 20 2017 // A Philadelphia Fire Department captain has been arrested and charged with insurance fraud. Court records show 43-year-old Yolanda Stallings, of Philadelphia, Penn., was arrested June 27 and charged with various offenses...
Convicted of Arson, Former Indiana Volunteer Firefighter Gets 20-Year Sentence
Jul 17 2017 // A former volunteer firefighter in Indiana was sentenced to at least two decades in prison after he was convicted of arson. Adam Selbee, 20, was sentenced after pleading guilty in May to four counts of arson. The...
Judge: Insurer Off the Hook for Payment in Ohio Arson Case
Jul 17 2017 // A judge has ruled that an insurance company doesn’t have to pay an Ohio man accused of burning down his house. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reports the ruling came on July 14 in southwest Ohio’s Butler...
Prosecutors Unable to Prove Arson Against 2 Youths in Tennessee Wildfires
Jul 5 2017 // Prosecutors have dropped arson charges against two juveniles in connection with the Tennessee wildfires that killed 14 people and tore through thousands of homes and businesses in November, a law enforcement official said...
2 Fires at California Rehab Center Being Looked into by Arson Investigators
Jun 27 2017 // An arson team in California is investigating after two vacant buildings were destroyed by fire at the 129-year-old Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles County. Officials say crews responded to...
Third Person Pleads Guilty in Kansas City Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme
Jun 13 2017 // A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to participating in a $235,000 arson and insurance fraud conspiracy. Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Joseph Levi Little is the third person to plead guilty in the scheme. Tina...
Families of Victims Pack Court to See Man Charged in Deadly Oakland Warehouse Fire
Jun 9 2017 // Families of some of the dozens of people who were killed in an Oakland warehouse fire attended a court hearing for a man charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the fire. Victims lined up to see suspect...
Boys Charged in New Jersey Playground Fire that Caused $80K in Damage
May 12 2017 // Police have arrested two boys in connection with a fire that caused $80,000 worth of damage to a playground in New Jersey. Linden police say the 13-year-old and the 11-year-old were taken into custody late Sunday after...
Teen Charged in Fire that Destroyed Iconic Madison County Covered Bridge
Apr 20 2017 // Officials say a West Des Moines teenager has been charged with first-degree arson in a fire that destroyed an iconic covered bridge featured in the best-selling novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” Des Moines...
Arson Wildfires in Florida Up Nearly 70%
Apr 17 2017 // Florida officials say the number of arson wildfires has increased nearly 70 percent compared to last year. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Friday there have been more than 240 separate arson wildfires so far this...
Authorities Charge 2 with Arson in Maine Storage Building Fire
Apr 10 2017 // State fire officials say two men have been charged with arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a large storage building in Etna, Maine. Officials say several smaller storage buildings for sale at Hill View Mini...
North Carolina Man Charged With Arson in Apartment Fire
Apr 2 2017 // A Raleigh man has been charged in an apartment fire that displaced dozens of people. Local media outlets report that Anthony Antoine Ridley has been charged with first-degree arson. The two-alarm fire broke out Thursday...
Florida Man Arrested for Setting Car on Fire to Collect Insurance Payout
Mar 23 2017 // A resident in Orange County, Florida, is alleged to have committed an insurance scheme that included having his car stolen and destroyed to collect an insurance payout. Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the...
