Arsonists caught on tape

Redwood City CA Aug 1989 Segment from Unsolved Mysteries. Videotape of arsonist narrating his own fire is found. Video describes investigation and outcome. Also shows some amazing vintage mustaches.
Speaking of arson, here is a short clip discussing the profiling of serial arsonists:




Here are facts about arson and serial arsonists: http://www.cbsnews.com/2316-100_162-562004-3.html




Exploring Arson Motives and Solutions, a discussion from Australia is here: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/A/1/8/%7BA18209AF-C67E-4E5E-9FCD-D5413DCA4686%7Dti236.pdf

Interesting stuff on Pyromania at Stranger than Fiction: http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk/stranger-than-fiction/pyromania.html

Turns out they aren't all that bright:

Watch these guys set themselves on fire.






This guy runs into the lamp. Left side of the screen. It is awesome.

Arsonist Runs in to Lamp Post KO EPIC FUNNY FAIL OWNED - The best bloopers are here

The next video gave me goosebumps! The Moose and the Match,  the making of an arsonist. 

One day a moose found a box that said "match"
and he stumbled across an egg about to hatch
So the moose took a match and lit the egg on fire
and the life of the egg began to expire
So the moose went on to find something to do.
He found a cow-moose with eyes so blue.
Moose lit a candle for a romantic dinner-
or tried anyway- without her fur she looked thinner.
So the moose moved on-his matches beside him.
he burned everything so company was slim.
He got angry thinking of what he'd done.
so he lit another match and began to run.
He ran by the field, catching it in flame-
the whole forest burning he had no shame
He ran to the next woods, burning them all
every thing crumbling in ash- big or small.
So that's the story of the match-happy moose
who even burned off a part of his own caboose.
His profession is flames-he's an arsonist now.
How he ever lit that first match, I can't figure how.

Turns out the cats are in on it too!




Watch this baby's eyes. Future firefighter or fire setter? You be the judge.




Arson Resources
Juvenile Firesetters What Can You D?o Handout http://www.arlingtontx.gov/fire/pdf/Juvenile_fire_Setters[1].pdf
SD Burn Inst. Juvenile Firesetting http://www.burninstitute.org/fbp/programs/juvenile.html

Arson stories in the news http://www.newser.com/tag/10478/1/arson.html

Training

Certified Fire Investigator Training http://cfitrainer.com/
Interfire.org http://www.interfire.org/
USFA Arson  http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/subjects/arson/index.shtm
Firesetting by Children & Adolescents: Coffee Break Training http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/fm/fm_2011_4.pdf

Pants on fire: Mich. teen charged with burning man

The Associated Press: Pants on fire: Mich. teen charged with burning man
FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) — Police in a Detroit suburb say a teenager has been charged with lighting an unconscious man's pants on fire and causing a third-degree burn to the man's groin. Police in Ferndale, Mich., said 18-year-old Tyler Quick was arraigned Friday on a charge of assault.

Ferndale police Lt. William Wilson tells The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak that Quick was attending a party at the home of a 51-year-old man when the host passed out.

Police say Quick placed a lit candle under the man's crotch, setting fire to his pants. The man awoke and extinguished the fire. A police lieutentant said Quick thought it would be funny to burn the victim.

Authorities said Quick is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Hiring practices, management of Coatesville Fire Department criticized | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/28/2009

Hiring practices, management of Coatesville Fire Department criticized | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/28/2009 By Kathleen Brady Shea Inquirer Staff Writer

On Jan. 17, 2001, police responded to a domestic dispute involving a man in camouflage gear waving a semiautomatic pistol. As two officers approached the Caln Township residence, a shot was fired "in such a manner as to place individuals in danger," court records said.

Less than four years later, the person who shot the gun, Kevin Johnson, was hired as an assistant fire chief in Coatesville.

His hiring is an example of Coatesville's weakness in screening firefighting personnel, said Richard G. Poulson, the attorney for the city's 13 paid part-time firefighters and four full-time firefighters.

The latest instance, he said, involved Robert F. Tracey Jr. Tracey - recently recommended for a job by Johnson, now the chief - was charged Monday with setting two of the 70 fires that have left dozens of residents homeless and caused millions of dollars in damage over the last 13 months in the Coatesville area.
Poulson also accused Johnson of severely underreporting the number of fire calls in the city.

Johnson denied that, saying his list excluded fires that did not involve a structure or were put out quickly. He also said he would not discuss his decision to hire Tracey.

He wasnt reporting outdoor fires, vehicle fires or any fire that was extinguished "quickly". How quick is "quickly"? What is wrong with this picture?

Kristin Geiger, a city spokeswoman, said all candidates for police and fire positions are subject to a psychological evaluation, drug and alcohol testing, and a check of criminal-history and driving records.

She said that "blemishes" on candidates' records do not make them unemployable. "It depends on the type of conviction and the position they're applying for," Geiger said.

Tracey was hired on Feb. 9. Court records show he had a March 2007 conviction for passing bad checks, citations for driving an unregistered vehicle and disregarding a traffic-control device, and two citations for operating a vehicle without a valid inspection.

What do you think? Should the "blemishes" on Tracey's record have been enough to disqualify him from the job of firefighter?

Tracey is the seventh arson suspect in custody; investigators said they have linked 24 fires to the seven...

Until mid-February, Coatesville had reported 15 arson fires in 2008. In response to repeated requests from The Inquirer for 2008 data, the city changed that number to 26. Geiger attributed the error to different reporting mechanisms for county, city and state agencies.

Poulson said the National Fire Incident Reporting System standards should be the guide.

When Johnson became chief in 2006, he assumed control of incident reporting, Poulson said. The union continued to keep its own records, Poulson said, and did not learn of discrepancies until early in 2008, when the union applied for a federal grant.
Poulson said the city typically has about 700 fire calls a year. Johnson reported 295 in 2007, while union records show 733. When the union discovered the difference, it complained to city officials, but nothing was done, Poulson said.

What problem's do you see with Johnson's underreporting? Why was the Union keeping it's own records? Poulson said the National Fire Incident Reporting System standards should be the guide. Do you agree or disagree?

"Fire-suppression services are in complete disarray," Poulson said of Coatesville, adding, "It's like the perfect storm for an arsonist."

What makes this the "perfect storm" for an arsonist?

Click the link above to read the complete article.
We will be discussing the article and the questions in class next week!

Minnesota Woman Tried to Set Boyfriend on Fire, Police Say - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

FOXNews.com - Minnesota Woman Tried to Set Boyfriend on Fire, Police Say - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A St. Cloud woman is in jail after police say she tried to set her boyfriend on fire using a lighter and air freshener.

Investigators say the 49-year-old woman is accused of pouring fingernail polish remover on the victim and the blanket covering him, then trying to light him on fire.

The victim was able to take the air freshener from the woman. Police say she then hit him on the back of the head and bit him several times. As the man tried to call police, the woman allegedly ripped the phone cord out of the wall.

The woman is in the Stearns County Jail on suspicion of domestic assault and interfering with a 911 call.

The Perfect Gift

The Perfect Gift - watch more funny videos

Woman Charged With Murder in Burning of Sleeping Husband - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

FOXNews.com - Woman Charged With Murder in Burning of Sleeping Husband - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

ADELAIDE, Australia — An Australian woman accused of setting her husband's genitals on fire because she thought he was having an affair has been charged with murder.

Prosecutors said 44-year-old Rajini Narayan confessed to neighbors that she set her husband on fire on Dec. 8, 2008, after she saw him hug another woman.

She was initially charged with endangering life and arson but the charges were upgraded to murder after her 47-year-old husband, Satish Narayan, died from his injuries last week.

Prosecutor Lucy Boord said Narayan told neighbors she was a "jealous wife" but she hadn't meant to kill him when she doused the sleeping man's genitals with an alcohol-based solvent and then set him on fire.

Boord quoted Narayan allegedly saying: "I just wanted to burn his penis so it belongs to me and no one else. ... I didn't mean this to happen."

The husband jumped out of bed and knocked over the bottle of alcohol, causing the fire to spread and resulting in $711,000 of damage to their town house and an adjacent property, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

Narayan was remanded in custody for psychological assessment and will reappear in court Friday. She has been charged with murder, arson and three counts of endangering life, as the couple's three children were at home during the incident.

Fire set by grounded boy killed his brother

A 15-year-old boy who killed his little brother by setting fire to the family home as revenge for being grounded, was sentenced to at least ten years imprisonment today.

Matthew Stringer, who was 14 at the time, had been caught stealing thousands of pounds from his older brother and was angry at the punishment dished out by his family who had also confiscated his Xbox computer console.

Stringer poured white spirit in the hall and stairway of his house in Wombwell, near Barnsley, before igniting the fire with a match. Sheffield Crown Court heard that he watched “impassively” as his panicked family tried to escape the house.

His mother, sister, two elder brothers and one of their girlfriends, who was six months pregnant, were forced to jump from upstairs windows to escape the blaze. One of the older brothers broke both his ankles and his badly burned mother spent a number of months in hospital as a result of the fire on November 3 last year.

In the rush to flee the burning building nobody noticed that the youngest brother Adam was still in his room. His body was found by firefighters in his badly charred bed, he died of smoke inhalation while sleeping under the covers still wearing his brand new headphones.

The court heard that Stringer’s behaviour had deteriorated in the months leading up to the fire. In October he told a friend at school that he was planning to burn down his house to kill his mother after she had grounded him.

Since his parents separated in August 2005, Matthew Stringer had lit fires in a skip, a field and a garden shed. He had also used a cigarette lighter to cause burns to his hands.

13-year-old girl charged with murdering relative in arson fire

The 13-year-old step-granddaughter of a Sprenger Avenue man who died in a fire early Friday at his house was charged with deliberately setting the blaze.

The girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, was taken into custody by Buffalo police homicide detectives just after 6:30 p.m. and charged with two counts of seconddegree murder and first-degree arson in the death of Vincent Fairfax, 43.

Firefighters arriving at 125 Sprenger shortly after 4:15 a.m. discovered the two-story home engulfed in flames. Neighbors said four people, including two children, were calling for help from the second-floor porch as flames shot out the windows of the house. They were rescued by firefighters.

Fairfax was pronounced dead at the scene.

“There was a trail of some kind of flammable liquid [the suspect] used on the first floor,” Deputy Fire Commissioner Patrick T. Lewis said.

Lewis said the liquid was apparently poured in the kitchen, outside a bedroom and dining room area. Investigators from the Buffalo Fire Marshal’s office and Buffalo Police Homicide Unit questioned children and other members of the family.

Sources close to the investigation said the suspect also doused an 11- year-old boy asleep in the house with the liquid, waking him up. She told him he’d better get out or he’d “burn with the rest of them,” said the source, who added that the suspect also led a girl with cerebral palsy out of the house before setting it on fire.

Investigators said the girl admitted to setting the fire. However, they refused to release any details about the girl’s motive.

Click the link above to read the rest of the story!

Man Charged With Using Bible To Start Motel Fire

6/14/2007 - Niota Man

Charged With Using Bible To Start Motel Fire - Breaking News - Chattanoogan.com
Chattanooga fire investigators made an arrest Thursday in connection with a small fire at a local motel last month.

The fire occurred at the Best Western Heritage Inn at 7641 Lee Highway on May 27. Only one room was involved and the fire apparently burned itself out when Chattanooga firefighters arrived on the scene. No one was injured, and the fire caused approximately $5,000 in damages.

Captain James Whitmire with the Fire Investigation Division was called to the scene, and the physical evidence suggested that the fire had been deliberately set.

Following a three-week investigation, Captain Whitmire arrested Richard McCoy, 37, of Niota, Tn., and charged him with aggravated arson and vandalism.

Captain Whitmire said McCoy used pages from a Bible to help set several fires in the room, and he also disconnected the smoke alarm to delay the fire's detection.

McCoy was charged with aggravated arson because he endangered the lives of all the other people staying in the motel at that time, he said. Some additional charges may be filed.

Children in Ninth Avenue fire face a painful road to recovery

Oshkosh Northwestern - Children in Ninth Avenue fire face a painful road to recovery
Dad attempted suicide by fire. He died. The children lived.

From the moment her mom walks in the room and begins taking the bloody bandages off, Ariel Stussy screams. She hits, kicks and flails her arms, trying to make her make her mom stop.

“Stop! You’re hurting me,” she screams.

While Tena Riste is inflicting pain on her 6-year-old daughter, it’s a necessary pain.
Ariel Stussy is undergoing burn care, a treatment aimed at helping heal the wounds she suffered last summer in a Ninth Avenue fire that badly burned the girl and her brothers, Zachary and Randy Jr.

Their father, Randy Stussy, died in the fire. His death was ruled a suicide. Authorities believe he intentionally started the blaze.

Three times a week, Riste administers burn care on her daughter. During the treatment, bandages are removed and Riste has to scrub the dead skin off her daughter’s legs before applying ointment and changing bandages.

It’s a painful process. And although Ariel has the option of taking pain medication before the treatment, Riste said it doesn’t help numb the pain her daughter feels.

“When I first had to do this, it was extremely hard, because I wasn’t the disciplinarian,” Riste said. “And at first there was a lot of crying, but I knew I had to stop and do it.”

The July 5 fire left the three Stussy children with burns covering their bodies. Zachary, 9, was the most badly injured, with burns covering 75 percent of his body. Burns covered 40 percent of Ariel’s body and Randy Jr., 11, had wounds covering 20 percent of his body.

Woman afraid of losing job confesses to fatal fire, officials say

590 KLBJ NEWS RADIO - Breaking News Headlines and Video from 590 KLBJ

Turns out she is the one that started the fire in the six story Houston office building on March 28. She was afraid her boss would find out that she hadn't finished her work and fire her. This fire killed three people and injured six, including three firefighters.

Links to the previous report is here.

Arsonist filmed his own fire

Inside the mind of an arsonist! Job security?