Arson News

Three Black Churches Rebuilding in Louisiana After 2019 Arson

OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) — 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. Mary Baptist …

Multiple Small Fires in Central Park Send Smoke Billowing

NEW YORK (AP) — Plumes of white smoke from multiple small brush fires went spiraling up from the northern end of New York City’s Central Park on Tuesday, and authorities said they were investigating the possibility that arson was to …

Woman Gets 5-Year Term for Police Car Fires in 2020 Protest

SEATTLE (AP) — A woman who torched five Seattle police cars during a tumultuous protest that heralded a summer of unrest after George Floyd’s murder in 2020 was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison. Margaret Channon, 26, of Tacoma, …

Ringleader Pleads Guilty in Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme

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, create fake lease …

San Diego Supervisor’s House Fire is Considered Suspicious

SAN DIEGO (AP)–Police are treating a fire at the home of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors chair and a prominent labor leader as suspicious Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said he and his wife, Lorena Gonzalez, and their family were …

Fire Reignites at South Africa’s Parliament in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP)–The fire that has already destroyed South Africa’s main Parliament chamber flared up again Monday about 36 hours after it started in the 130-year-old complex of historic buildings, authorities said. Firefighters have been sent back to …

2 Still Missing in Colorado Fire; Cause Under Investigation

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (AP)–Search teams looked for two missing people in the smoldering debris from a massive Colorado wildfire while people who escaped the flames sorted through the charred remnants of their homes to find what was left. Investigators were still …

Osaka Arson Suspect Identified, Buildings to Be Checked

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police on Sunday identified a 61-year-old man as a prime suspect behind a fire that engulfed a mental health clinic in an eight-story building where he was a patient, killing 24 people who were trapped inside. …

Engineer: Navy Warship Fire Might Be Electrical, Not Arson

SAN DIEGO (AP)–An electrical engineer who examined the USS Bonhomme Richard after it was destroyed by fire last year testified Wednesday that it might have started with a faulty cable, while a former federal fire investigator said he also found …

Father, Son Charged With Starting Wildfire Plead Not Guilty

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP)–A father and son charged with starting a massive California wildfire that destroyed many homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee Lake Tahoe communities earlier this year pleaded not guilty in court Friday. The El …