Latest Arson Headlines

All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.

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 Derick...

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...

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 did...

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...