Latest Arson Headlines

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

Indiana Man Pleads Guilty to Arson of Barn Fires

Oct 27 2022 // A man has pleaded guilty in connection with a series of barn fires set last year in several northern Indiana counties.An Elkhart County judge gave preliminary approval Monday to the plea agreement with Joseph Hershberger...

Michigan Man Arrested for Setting 25 Trucks on Fire in 8 States

Oct 14 2022 // A Michigan man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he set 25 fires on semitrailers in eight states over more than two years, all belonging to the same trucking company, prosecutors said...

Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to Arson, Insurance Fraud He Blamed on Politics

Oct 13 2022 // A Minnesota man pleaded guilty Tuesday to filing fraudulent insurance claims for a staged arson he attempted to portray as a politically-motivated attack.Federal officials said Denis Molla, 30, of Brooklyn Center, falsely...

Judge Tosses Charge Against Dive Boat Owner in California Fire That Killed 34

Sep 7 2022 // A Los Angeles federal judge threw out an indictment charging a dive boat captain with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 people in a 2019 fire aboard a vessel anchored off the Southern California coast.The ruling came on the...

Virginia Firefighter on Scene With Crew Charged with Setting Fire to Building

Aug 19 2022 // A Virginia volunteer firefighter charged with setting fire to an abandoned building was with the first crew to arrive on the scene, an investigator said Monday.Firefighters from several departments responded to a report of...

Teenagers Charged with Arson at Chicago-Area Shuttered Resort

Aug 5 2022 // Two teenagers have been charged with arson for allegedly setting a May fire at a shuttered suburban Chicago resort that took firefighters a full day to extinguish.The two boys face charges of arson, burglary, criminal...

Three Charged in Arson of Historic West Virginia Church

Jul 15 2022 // Three people have been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed a historic church in West Virginia, state police said.Braxton Allan Miller, 18, of Charleston; James Dean Elmore, 19, of Beckley; and a juvenile boy...

Gang Members Charged With Violent Takeover of New York Fire Mitigation Industry

Jul 5 2022 // FBI, Homeland Security and New York police officials have charged nine defendants including gang members with a violent racketeering and extortion conspiracy in attempting to take over an entire industry designed to help...

Three Teens Arrested in Fire That Burned 3 Historic Homes in Georgia

Jun 14 2022 // Police charged three boys with arson in fires that destroyed three historic homes in an Atlanta suburb over the weekend.Two 14-year-olds and one 15-year-old were arrested Wednesday at their homes in Clayton County,...

Arson Probe After 14 Homes Being Built in Arizona Destroyed

May 20 2022 // Authorities in the Tucson suburb of Marana, Arizona, are investigating whether a fire that destroyed 14 homes under construction homes was arson.Marana police officials said the fire started last week. By the time crews...

Photos Do Lie: Carolina Authorities Charge Two With Insurance Fraud for Fake Fires

Apr 25 2022 // North Carolina authorities have charged two men with fraud and theft after they submitted photographs of fires that never occurred.Antonio Collins, 32, of Greensboro, obtained $11,122 from State Farm Insurance after he...

3 Louisiana Black Churches Rebuilding After 2019 Arson

Apr 20 2022 // Three years after an arsonist torched three small Black Baptist churches in rural Louisiana, rebuilding is well under way.Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas is months from reopening, with visible progress at St....

Fire That Destroyed Washington Businesses Ruled Arson

Apr 18 2022 // The Town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington said that a fire that burned through a block of businesses last week was intentionally set.City officials said the fire that started early on April 7 originated...

New York Man Wrongly Convicted of Arson Finally Vindicated After 40 Year Fight

Apr 6 2022 // A New York man who spent nearly 40 years trying to clear his name after a jury tainted by antisemitism wrongfully convicted him of arson has finally been vindicated.Lawyers for Barry Jacobson — who were helped in their...

Carolina Volunteer Fire Chief Charged with Inflating Firefighter Numbers

Feb 9 2022 // The chief of a volunteer fire department in North Carolina has been charged with falsifying reports and inflating the number of responding firefighters in order to obtain a better insurance protection rating for his...

Missouri Man Pleads Guilty in Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme

Feb 2 2022 // A Kansas City-area man has pleaded guilty to an arson and insurance fraud scheme that allegedly destroyed three houses from 2013 to 2019.Wandale J. Fulton, 40, was accused of conspiring with six others to buy houses,...

Jonesboro, Louisiana Fire Chief, Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested for Insurance Fraud

Jan 5 2022 // A Jonesboro, Louisiana fire chief and a Jackson Parish sheriff’s deputy have been arrested for insurance fraud over an alleged fraudulent vehicle crash that involved two Jonesboro Fire Department vehicles.In August...

Arson Fire Forces 140 to Flee Milwaukee Apartment

Dec 29 2021 // Scores of people are wondering when they can return to their Milwaukee apartment building after a fire authorities say was deliberately set forced them to flee. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the fire broke out...

Man Charged with Arson in Fire That Destroyed House, Damaged Three Others

Dec 21 2021 // A Maryland man has been arrested on arson charges stemming from a house fire that injured two firefighters, authorities said.John Edward Cropper, 56, was arrested Friday on charges of first-degree arson, second-degree...

Restaurant Owner, Niece Face Prison for Arson, Insurance Fraud

Dec 16 2021 // A New York restaurant owner and his nephew’s wife are facing up to 25 years to life in prison after being charged with first degree arson.Zef Gjurashaj, of Newburgh, and his nephew’s wife, Marina Gjurashaj, of...