AT THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, A MAN WAS RELEASED FROM A SWEDISH PRISON after serving 3 years for attempted arson.

Not surprisingly, as soon as he got home suspicious fires started cropping up again.  Then this past Wednesday things got really busy.  The Local reports:

Four fires broke out in Simrishamn within a few hours of each other on Wednesday morning, including blazes in storage areas and attics and police suspect the fires were set intentionally.

The first two fires were reported around 6:30am, with two more fires being reported in the next hour, all at different addresses in Simrishamn.

(W)itnesses also reported seeing a man riding a bicycle near where the fires were set, a behaviour exhibited previously by the 45-year-old.

He is currently being held in custody “for further questioning” after the police have searched his home.

The full story is HERE.
 

A FAST-MOVING FIRE SUNDAY MORNING IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, destroyed two apartment buildings and left three people dead.

KATU-TV

One of the deaths was a disabled man with limited vision and the other two were an elderly man and his 8-yr.-old grandson.  The two buildings each contained 8 apartments and the fire left over 30 people homeless.  The complex is in the suburban town of Burien and the fire was handled by the King County Fire District 2.

Five people were hospitalized in satisfactory condition and the damages are estimated to reach $1.75 million.

Monday morning the King County Sheriff’s office announced that they have evidence that the fire was deliberately set, but they did not disclose why they believe so.  A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist.

The Seattle Times has the latest REPORT.

KIRO-TV

IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY, EARLIER TODAY, a 30-yr.-old unemployed man who is apparently frustrated over gasoline prices, pulled his Z95 BMW into a parking lot and then poured a can of (expensive) gasoline all over it and set it alight.

“sprit-wucher” = gasoline profiteer (dpa photo)

The unidentified man said that he was protesting the rapidly escalating prices of gasoline.  The car was covered with slogans and stickers promoting websites about gas prices.

By the time the fire brigade arrived on the scene the car was completely burned up.  The police are estimating approx. 10,000 Euros in damages ($15,000).

“benzin ablocke” = gas rip-off
(Frankfurt Police photo)

The protester is from Bavaria and said that he wanted to do his stunt in Berlin, but he got lost and didn’t know how to get there.  The police have found a new destination for him, however.  He was arrested and is being held on arson charges, violating environmental regulations, and will be assessed the cost of calling out the fire brigade.

Hessischer Rundfunk has the STORY.

Hat tip:  Christian L.

IN HIS FIRST PUBLIC STATEMENT SINCE THE COSTLY fire at the Texas Governor’s Mansion on June 8, Governor Rick Perry said that he is “disappointed in the lapses” at the Department of Public Safety that allowed an arsonist to torch the historic Governor’s Mansion.

The ensuing blaze all but gutted the 152-yr.-old building.  Fortunately all of the furnishings had been removed for a renovation that was ongoing.

It has since been disclosed that instead of having two DPS troopers stationed at the site, as is called for, there was only one on duty and it was his 2nd work shift for that day.

Also, nearly one third of the security cameras were not functioning and the entire infra-red motion detector system had been out of service for weeks.

The Governor said yesterday, “Obviously, we’re disappointed that there was not the response from some of those who realized that there were some lapses there, and that the leadership had not accepted those,” referring directly to the head of the DPS who has been unable to explain the several security lapses.

KVUE-TV filed this video of the Govenor’s remarks:

Now the Associated Press and three other news organizations are filing requests to be able to view the security tapes that show the unknown arsonist standing in front of the house, lighting a device and throwing it onto the porch.  The DPS is refusing to release the video citing the need to protect the security system from being studied by terrorists.

The Houston Chronicle reports on this twist HERE.

RAILROAD FANS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE FAMOUS TEHACHAPI PASS in California.  The mountain obstacle between southern California and the lush San Joaquin Valley was conquered in 1876 when the Southern Pacific RR engineers carved a grade and path through the Tehachapi Mountains utilizing a full under-over loop.

The settlement that sprung up at the summit was the site of a major depot on the SP.  The building was replaced in 1904 with a larger and updated structure following Southern Pacific’s depot plan No. 23.  More than 60 stations following this design were built between 1896 and 1916.  Today there are only six remaining and Tehachapi’s is the only one still on its original location.

Three years ago the city of 11,000 took over ownership from the railroad (now the Union Pacific) and has been remodeling the building as a commercial centerpiece in the downtown section.  Nearing completion, a sprinkler system was installed in the structure but had not yet been connected to the water supply when last Friday (June 13) the building caught fire around 3 am and burned down.

Bakersfield Ch. 23 / Otto photo

Following up on a tip, police have identified and interviewed two men in their 30’s who accidentally set the depot alight when they were setting off illegal fireworks in the middle of the night nearby.  The police are waiting for the district attorney to issue an arrest warrant before they formally charge them.

KGET Ch. 17 has a video report on the fire:

The city has been emotionally hit with this loss, but the building was insured and they are intent on rebuilding the wood structure and completing it in time for the city’s centennial celebration next year.

KGET has a further report on the citizens’ reactions and the city’s plans to rebuild:

The Tehachapi News has a good local report on the fire’s impact on the city HERE.
Kern County Fire Dept. report on WEBSITE.

TEXAS STATE OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED MONDAY THAT they are offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the young man seen in surveilance videos setting fire to the historic Governor’s Mansion.

Dallas Morning News

Also on Monday, the attorney who represents the Texas State Troopers Association said that there was supposed to be two troopers assigned to the security detail at the mansion on the night of the fire.  However, there was only one officer on duty that night.  It is not yet disclosed why a second was not detailed to the patrol.  The Dallas Morning News covers the attorney’s announcement HERE.

This follows disclosure late last week that the infrared motion detection system had been out of service for several weeks leading up to the crime.  See the Firegeezer report HERE.

Texas State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado held a news conference Monday morning where he announced the reward and also released a description of the suspect.  The actual surveilance tape has not been made public yet, though.

KVUE-TV covers today’s press conference and provides the description of the suspect in this video report:

BROKEN SECURITY SYSTEMS AT THE TEXAS GOVERNOR’S MANSION allowed a miscreant to penetrate the property and set a devastating fire that nearly destroyed the entire structure.  (Firegeezer reports HERE, HERE and HERE.)

AP

It was disclosed yesterday that an infra-red motion detection system that covers the grounds has been out of service for four weeks while it was sent away to be overhauled. 

Several sources, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions from supervisors, said DPS officials balked at the cost of deploying additional state troopers when the infrared monitoring system broke down.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Some troopers complained they could not adequately monitor the mansion grounds without the alarm system working.

“Had it been working, you would have known that somebody had entered the property right away,” said one of them, who requested anonymity. “If they fixed that alarm, (the fire) might not have happened.”

DPS troopers “are as upset about (the mansion fire) as everybody else is,” said Austin lawyer Don Dickson, who represents the Texas State Troopers Association.

“Equipment failures are not uncommon at the DPS,” Dickson said. “We have troopers all over Texas who have been notifying their supervisors that their cameras don’t work or this doesn’t work or that doesn’t work. And it’s hell getting them replaced.”

Dickson confirmed that “one of my clients notified (DPS superiors) that the infrared system was inoperable.”

It was also disclosed that several video security cameras at the Governor’s Mansion also were not working.  “Had all the cameras been working, (troopers) would have had better camera angles,” one of the sources familiar with the system said.

Read the full story in the Chronicle HERE.

ALMOST 3 MONTHS AFTER THE LITTLE TOWN OF BAXTER, TENNESSEE suffered a major fire that destroyed 1/3 of its commercial district, the Putnam County Sheriff has arrested two people and charged them with arson.

Cumberland Daily News

The fire, which was first reported on March 14 by Firegeezer HERE, also consumed a long-time town business, the Wagon Wheel Restaurant which had been in operation since 1936.

The two suspects, a man and a woman, are being held under a $100,000 bond each.  The sheriff has not publicly disclosed their motive in setting the fire.

WZTV Nashville has an excellent video report on the arrest:

TEXAS PSA AND FIRE INVESTIGATORS TURNED THE Governor’s Mansion over to the engineers and preservationists Thursday after completing their inspection of the property.  They also disclosed that they have security video images of someone lighting an object and throwing it onto the front porch. 

Texas Governor’s Office photo

Currently they are digitally enhancing the images in the hope of making the arsonist more identifiable.  The State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado says that they may be releasing the images to the public soon.

If there is any good news to be had from this incident, it is that the walls of the historic building survived the fire in good shape and will be saved.  The roof however, will have to be removed and completely replaced.  Portions of the roof are in a state of near-collapse.  The engineers are considering putting a temporary roof over the structure while restoration begins.

The Univ. of Texas Daily Texan reports:

John Volz, one of the architects planning the restoration project, said historical-preservation groups and expert architects are confident they will be able to restore the mansion, regardless of the severe smoke, water and structural damage it suffered during the fire.

“I have seen buildings in similar or worse condition, and they were fully restored,” Volz said. “It’s a great loss, but it’s not a total loss.”

Volz said every part of the house will need attention but that there is a notable amount of material and building fabric that survived the flames.

Volz said the roof structure is the most pressing issue in the restoration project but that it cannot be reparied until after the core structure is stabilized with support beams. He did not offer a timeline for the restoration process but said that the team working on the building is staying positive about the project.

The Houston Chronicle has the REPORT.

A MAN IN NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, WAS SENTENCED yesterday to 18 months of community service and another 18 months of probation for “committing arson recklessly” last July.

Leo Casey, 63, was having an argument with his live-in girlfriend and she felt compelled to call the police, wherein Casey locked himself in his house.

When the police arrived, he set fire to a bundle of £20 notes and threw it out the window.  Then they noticed some smoke coming from upstairs, so they ran up to check on it.  They found Casey in the bathroom burning another pile of money.

By the time they apprehended him, Casey had burned more than £17,000 ($32,000) in cash.

Reported by BBC News.