Tag Archives: arson

California Court Rules FD Not A Crime Victim of Arsonist

The California Court of Appeals has ruled that a criminal convicted of setting a wildland fire cannot be required to pay restitution to responding fire departments as part of his sentence, because the fire departments are not the victims of the crime. The case involved Jorge Flores, who was convicted last year of setting a wildland fire in Ventura County in 2021.

Families of Two San Antonio Firefighters Sue

The families of two San Antonio firefighters, one of whom died the other who was seriously injured at a fire in 2017, have filed suit against Scott Technologies and the owner of a boxing gym where the fire occurred. Scott Deem was killed and Brad Phipps was seriously injured at a fire in the Spartan Boxing Gym on May 18, 2017.

Chicago Facing Wrongful Conviction Suit by Man Falsely Accused of Arson

A 39-year-old man who was wrongfully convicted of setting a fatal fire in 1993 when he was just 14, is now suing those he claims were responsible for manufacturing a false case against him, including the City of Chicago and a city fire marshal.

15 Sicilian Firefighters Charged With Arson

Fifteen volunteer firefighters in Sicily have been arrested on arson charges. The firefighters from the town of Ragusa are also accused of calling in false alarms. The fires and the false alarms appear to be associated with a scheme to increase their stipends that were tied to responses.

Pennsylvania Fire Law: Criminal Edition

Two criminal cases from Pennsylvania are in the fire law news today. Both involve 21-year-old volunteer firefighters. In Redstone Township, fire captain George A. Matis stands charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of junior firefighter Parker Hess in the fire station.

Advice For Handling Incident Scene Photos

Today’s burning question: I am assigned to our fire investigations unit and we are working on a policy to address how we handle the photos that we take. What do you recommend? Answer: My recommendation is you sit down with the following and determine what they want you to do:

Phoenix Sued for Wrongful Arrest in Arson Case

An innocent man who spent 14 months in jail on arson charges has filed suit against the city of Phoenix and the arson investigators who accused him of setting the fire. Carl Vincent Ball Caples filed suit in Maricopia County Superior Court last week claiming the city failed to hire properly trained investigators, failed to provide the investigators with proper training, and permitted them to use outdated and discredited investigation techniques leading to his wrongful arrest and incarceration.

Fire Department Investigates Banned Firefighter Arsonist Who Operated at House Fire

A fire department in Pennsylvania is investigating how a former member who was convicted of arson and banned for life from serving as a firefighter, donned turnout gear and operated at a house fire. Francis Kestner Jr. allegedy operated at ...

Former Minnesota Chief Pleads Guilty to Arson

A former Minnesota fire chief has pled guilty to federal arson charges. Ryan Scharber, formerly the fire chief for the City of Babbitt, pled guilty in US District Court last Friday to two charges: one count of setting fires on ...

Pang Charged in Elaborate Scam of Seattle Firefighters

Martin Pang, the convicted arsonist of the fire that killed four Seattle firefighters in 1995, has been accused of an elaborate scam to steal money from firefighters, their families, police officers and witnesses in the case. The FBI, state police ...

Florida Firefighter Resigns After Setting A Brother Firefighter On Fire as a Joke

Apopka firefighter Jason Leblanc, 44, has resigned following the disclosure that he set another firefighter, 25-year-old Jack Shumate, on fire at a holiday party on December 18, 2010. Shumate sustained second degree burns and has not returned to work since ...

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