Latest Arson Headlines

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

Texas Town Faces Questions After Arson Blamed for Fertilizer Plant Blast

May 13 2016 // One question has lingered in the Central Texas farming town of West since a fertilizer plant caught fire in 2013 and exploded, killing 15 people and damaging at least $100 million in property: What caused the blaze?On May...

Police Make 2 Arrests in Most Recent Kentucky Home Burglary, Fire

May 13 2016 // Kentucky State Police say two people have been charged in connection to a home burglary and arson that occurred in Madison County. Police say 38-year-old John C. Roth of Nicholasville was arrested Tuesday and charged with...

Police Investigate 6th Home Burglary, Arson in Central Kentucky

May 12 2016 // A house north of Richmond has become the sixth home in Central Kentucky that state police think were recently burglarized and then set on fire.Trooper Robert Purdy told news outlets that a Madison County home received a...

Employee Charged in $70M Chicago Furniture Warehouse Fire

May 2 2016 // An employee of a suburban Chicago furniture warehouse is facing federal arson charges for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed the building. Ruben Ochoa Cruz is charged in the April 21 fire that destroyed The RoomPlace...

New Trial Granted for South Dakota Woman in Arson-for-Insurance Case

Apr 22 2016 // A woman convicted of setting fire to a bar and grill she co-owned in the South Dakota town of Herreid to get insurance money has been granted a new trial.A jury in February found 42-year-old Lori Brandner guilty of arson,...

7 Arrested in Georgia Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme

Feb 4 2016 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens announced the arrests of six Colquitt County residents and a Clayton County woman involved in a staged insurance fraud ring. A joint investigation by Hudgens’ Insurance...

Kansas City Woman Pleads Guilty to Arson-for-Insurance Charges

Jan 31 2016 // A Kansas City woman has admitted to helping to burn down one home and plotting to burn another for insurance money.The U.S. attorney’s office says 35-year-old Tina Shonk pleaded guilty to two federal counts. Through...

Rhode Island Landlord Sentenced in Arson-for-Profit Scheme

Jan 11 2016 // A Providence, Rhode Island, landlord will serve three and a half years in federal prison for starting a fire at a vacant apartment in an otherwise occupied multi-family home in an attempt to collect insurance...

Trial Ordered for Penn. Homeowner Accused of Arson, Brother’s Death

Oct 26 2015 // A Pennsylvania man has been ordered to stand trial on charges that he paid his brother to set fire to his northeastern Pennsylvania home as part of an insurance scam, a blaze that claimed his brother’s life.A...

Mass. Developer Charged With Masterminding Arson for Insurance Money

Sep 24 2015 // A millionaire developer and restaurant owner in Massachusetts has been charged with masterminding the arson of an under-construction home so he could collect the insurance money.Alan Kaplan, of Brookline, Massachusetts,...

Cal Fire Captain, Insurance Agent Brother Arrested for Insurance Fraud

Aug 3 2015 // A California Fire captain and his insurance agent brother have been arrested for insurance fraud.Neal Moriarty, 38, a Cal Fire captain, and Ross Moriarty, 42, a licensed insurance agent, were arrested in late July on...

3 Firefighters Hurt in Houston Blaze; Man Charged with Arson

Jul 31 2015 // Houston police say a man has been accused of starting an apartment complex blaze on July 28 that left three firefighters slightly hurt.Houston City Jail records show 18-year-old Danny Isidoro was being held on a charge of...

Connecticut Woman Gets Suspended Sentence in Insurance Arson Case

Jul 30 2015 // A Connecticut woman accused of using fireworks to burn down her Windham, Connecticut, home for insurance has received a fully suspended prison sentence. The Day of New London reports 48-year-old Julie Amero-Volle pleaded...

Cal Fire Captain, Insurance Agent Brother Arrested For Insurance Fraud

Jul 27 2015 // A California Fire captain and his insurance agent brother have been arrested for insurance fraud.Neal Moriarty, 38, a Cal Fire Captain, and Ross Moriarty, 42, a licensed insurance agent, were arrested last week on multiple...

Report: Low Incidence of Southern Church Fires Caused by Arson

Jul 20 2015 // As social media buzzed about church fires in the South, investigators said July 2 that weather caused a destructive blaze at a predominantly black church in South Carolina. The State Law Enforcement Division said in a...

Report: Arson Rarely the Cause of Southern Church Fires

Jul 6 2015 // As social media buzzed about church fires in the South, investigators said July 2 that weather caused a destructive blaze at a predominantly black church in South Carolina.The State Law Enforcement Division said in a...

Missouri Pair Sentenced to Prison for Arson, Insurance Fraud

Jul 2 2015 // Two men have been sentenced to federal prison for arson and insurance conspiracy after authorities say they conspired to burn houses they bought and insured in Kansas City, Mo. A news release from U.S. Attorney Tammy...

North Carolina Investigators Say Church Fire Was Arson, $250K in Damage

Jun 26 2015 // Investigators with the Charlotte, N.C., Fire Department say a fire at a predominantly black church is a case of arson.A statement from the fire department said it took about an hour to get June 24 fire at Briar Creek Road...

Dogs Assist Investigators in Sniffing out Georgia Arson Cases

Jun 23 2015 // Iggie is one of the most important tools in Columbus, Ga.’s fight against arson, and he’s only two years old.Iggie is a yellow lab trained to detect fire accelerants such as gasoline and other materials favored...

Ex-Iowa Deputy Gets 13 Years in Arson for Insurance Case

Jun 12 2015 // A former sheriff’s deputy in Jones County, Iowa, has been given 13 years in prison for fraud linked to a fire he set at his vacant home. Prosecutors say 50-year-old James Plower, of Olin, was sentenced in U.S....