Most Popular Arson Headlines This Year

The most viewed headlines from our Arson Topic Page over the last year.

#1 Former Florida Fire Captain Charged With Padding Living Expenses on Citizens Claim

Jun 12 2024 // A retired south Florida fire captain has been arrested for insurance fraud, charged with vastly overstating the number of nights he was forced to stay in a resort hotel while his home was under repair.Florida’s chief...

#2 Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Arson and Insurance Fraud Scheme

Jan 23 2024 // An Illinois man admitted guilt in federal court last week for his involvement in a scheme to commit arson on residential properties and collect fraudulent insurance benefits.Rufis A. Jefferson, 47, of Venice, Illinois,...

#3 Man Charged With Arson in Colorado Wildfire That Destroyed 29 Homes

Sep 16 2024 // A Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage, authorities said.Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested...

#4 Student from China Sentenced in Arson of Alabama Church in 2021

Apr 1 2024 // MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A 30-year-old woman in the U.S. on a student visa has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for setting fire to First Baptist Church in Montgomery in 2021, federal prosecutors said...

#5 Former North Carolina Volunteer Fire Chief Charged with Embezzling $155,300

Oct 30 2024 // A former volunteer fire chief in North Carolina has been charged with embezzling almost $155,300 from his department by falsifying time sheets.State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said in a statement that Brian Jason...

#6 California Fire Agency Employee Arrested on Suspicion of Starting 5 Blazes

Sep 23 2024 // A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection employee was arrested on suspicion he started five brush fires in Northern California in recent weeks, officials said.Robert Hernandez, 38, was arrested at the Howard...

#7 Two Former New York Fire Chiefs Face Bribery Charges Tied to Safety Inspections

Sep 17 2024 // Two former chiefs of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) have been charged with bribery and corruption for allegedly expediting access to fire safety inspections for preferred customers in exchange for...

#8 Texas Man Convicted of Arson in Historic Courthouse Fire

Feb 2 2024 // A Texas man was found guilty this week of starting fires at the historic Mason County Courthouse and an occupied residential structure on February 4, 2021. A McCulloch County jury this week found Nicholas Miller guilty of...

#9 Massachusetts Police Charge Man With Intentionally Setting Brush Fires

Nov 19 2024 // A man was arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting brush fires in Massachusetts during a time of dry conditions that have led to blazes throughout the Northeast, police said Monday.Police said they arrested the...

#10 Fire That Destroyed Historic Georgia Home Found to Be Arson

Jul 3 2024 // DARIEN, Ga. (AP) — A man has been charged with starting a fire that destroyed a nearly century-old home on the site of a coastal Georgia rice plantation that’s associated with the largest slave auction in U.S....

#11 New York State Imposes Burn Ban; Brush Fire in Manhattan; Arrest in Medford Fire

Nov 14 2024 // New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a statewide burn ban is in effect until November 30 due to an increased fire risk as the state continues to experience drought conditions and a record number of outdoor fires.Also,...

#12 Guards to Monitor Businessman’s Sites Under California Freeway Where Arson Occurred

Jan 9 2024 // More than a month after an arson fire at a storage yard damaged a key Los Angeles freeway, the state has hired security guards to watch out for smoke and other trouble at three additional sites beneath Interstate 10 that...

#13 Second Teen Charged in New Jersey Forest Fire; New York Hopes Rain Douses Blaze

Nov 21 2024 // A second teenager was charged with intentionally setting a wildfire in a New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia as “significant” rainfall was expected to help douse a stubborn wildfire burning on the New Jersey-New...

#14 Murder, Arson Charges on Hold in Killing of Former Mississippi Legislator

Nov 28 2023 // JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi prosecutors have dismissed indictments against a man in the shooting death of a former state lawmaker and the earlier burning of a building, saying they need more time to...

#15 Tesla Arson Case Shows Need to Protect Power Grid, Says German Utility Westenergie

Mar 12 2024 // German policymakers should team up with power grid operators to improve the response to incidents such as the arson attack near Tesla’s gigafactory, said the head of regional utility Westenergie.Security measures...