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More Arrests Made in Pennsylvania Arson Spree
BOB REYNOLDS
WNEP
Reprinted with Permission
Add two more people to the list of arson suspects in Schuylkill County.
Related
Four men who police say when they were firefighters are charged with going on an arson spree in Schuylkill County.
Now another firefighter is charged. Charles Ferguson of the Friedensburg Fire Department Tuesday turned himself into state police.
He was joined by Devon Smith of Auburn, who is not a firefighter. He is also accused of being part of group that state police call serial arsonists.
Smith said he was sorry for his part, but added, "I did not set any fires."
State police said the six are connected with eight set fires in Schuylkill County over nearly four months.
"It's rare that you see a group of people work together for arsons or at least going around burning things to this magnitude. Typically it's loner or solo individuals," said Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Kevin Reichert.
State police said several barns and one home was targeted by the serial arsonists. Investigators said if the spree was not stopped, the arsonists could have other homes on their list.
State police said people in the affected area should now feel safer.
"It makes me at ease as such. I am glad they caught them. It gives some relief to the people and everyone else, the farmers," said Charles Noll of Berks County.
"I've got to give credit to the state police. They were out there looking for them. They were out here plenty of times, so they did a great job going out there are finding these guys," said Bill Kirwan of Reading Stove Company.
Troopers said the six set the fires because they were bored.
Copyright © 2010, WNEP-TV
WNEP
Reprinted with Permission
Add two more people to the list of arson suspects in Schuylkill County.
Related
- Pennsylvania Firefighters Arrested for Arson
- Firefighters Caused Over $2M in Arson Damage
- Fourth Pennsylvania Firefighter Arrested
Now another firefighter is charged. Charles Ferguson of the Friedensburg Fire Department Tuesday turned himself into state police.
He was joined by Devon Smith of Auburn, who is not a firefighter. He is also accused of being part of group that state police call serial arsonists.
Smith said he was sorry for his part, but added, "I did not set any fires."
State police said the six are connected with eight set fires in Schuylkill County over nearly four months.
"It's rare that you see a group of people work together for arsons or at least going around burning things to this magnitude. Typically it's loner or solo individuals," said Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Kevin Reichert.
State police said several barns and one home was targeted by the serial arsonists. Investigators said if the spree was not stopped, the arsonists could have other homes on their list.
State police said people in the affected area should now feel safer.
"It makes me at ease as such. I am glad they caught them. It gives some relief to the people and everyone else, the farmers," said Charles Noll of Berks County.
"I've got to give credit to the state police. They were out there looking for them. They were out here plenty of times, so they did a great job going out there are finding these guys," said Bill Kirwan of Reading Stove Company.
Troopers said the six set the fires because they were bored.
Copyright © 2010, WNEP-TV
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Allen E Baltzer on
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now now... as much as it pains me to agree with Jack he is....gulp...right! we need to watch our own backs... but a bit of tact would be just dandy. quit lumping us in groups by our "lights" its a HUGE leap... but i tearfully agree with you jack.
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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Uh, the right thing.
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They don't have to be mutually exclusive. Just come out of the closet. You'll be accepted. (Well, maybe not by the vollies.)
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Permalink Reply by Michael D.Penick on
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This is to Jack/dt...I have been a vol. firefighter in Ohio for more than 32 years coming up through the ranks to the position that I hold now as Chief of my department. I have had many hours of arson training along with every other type of fire training. I was president of our county's arson task force for ten years and investigated many different fires and fire setters. During that time I found that there are bad apples in every profession including firefighters that were career and Vol. and there were various reasons for their actions. You need to blame the people that took the actions and not the profession that they were in at the time. They are the ones at fault, not their profession. I don't think you would be saying anything at all if they were career. This case is just as much of a black eye to every person in the field of firefighting than just the volunteers. It should be a wake up call for all to be more vigilant. I am not condemning you but from reading your posts they have the appearance that you are definitely jaded against volunteers.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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Philly,
However I've identified myself, it works for me, as is my option. I guess it depends on how one wants (or needs) to be identified.
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Jack,
It's not about how one wants or needs to be identified. It's about transparency, which is the point you thought I was trying to make before when the issue of your profile came up. (That point was actually about hypocricy, but no matter, it had the desired effect.)
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Uh, what?
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Hey Jack/dt ever read this before?
John Leonard Orr (born April 26, 1949) is a convicted serial arsonist who was once a fire captain and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. Orr had originally wanted to be a police officer, but had failed his entrance exam; instead he became a dedicated fire investigator and career fire officer. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Los Angeles was plagued by a series of fires that cost millions of dollars in damages and claimed four lives. John Orr was found to be the cause of most of those fires.[1] During his arson spree, Orr was given the nickname the Pillow Pyro by arson investigators.[2]
His modus operandi was to set fires using an incendiary timing-device, usually comprising a lit cigarette, three matches wrapped in ruled yellow writing paper and secured by a rubber band, in stores while they were open and populated. He would set small fires often in the grassy hills, in order to draw firefighters, leaving fires set in more congested areas unattended.
Perhaps you should take a good Google Search of Serial Arsonists. You will find they come from both types of Firehouses.
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