arson

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Wildfire Suspect Charged in Heart Attack 'Murders'

Unusual case links arson to deaths

(Newser) - California officials have taken the unusual step of charging a wildfire arson suspect with murder in the death of 5 people who suffered heart attacks escaping the flames. Prosecutors intend to prove the stress of the fire caused the deaths in the massive 2003 San Bernardino blaze. The groundbreaking case...

3 Teens Set Another on Fire, Police Say

15-year-old victim in Florida will be in hospital for 5 months

(Newser) - Three Florida teens have been charged with the brutal crime of dousing another teenager with a flammable liquid and setting him on fire. The 15-year-old victim, who was sitting by a pool at the time of the attack, is in serious condition and is expected to remain hospitalized for 5...

Teenage Brit Jockeys Killed in Arson

Police have arrested suspected arsonist in his 30s

(Newser) - Two promising apprentice jockeys were killed yesterday in a suspected arson fire set at their apartment building in northern England. "Apprentice of the season" Jamie Kyne, 18, was found dead along with female jockey Jan Wilson, 19, in Kyne's apartment where several riders had gathered for a party. Two...

Cost of Fighting Wildfire Tops $37M

(Newser) - The fight to contain the deadly Los Angeles-area Station fire has so far cost more than $37 million, the LA Times reports, and that’s not counting property damage or the cost to the environment. The blaze is still burning through the San Gabriel Wilderness, but it’s 42% contained,...

Lab Tests Substance in LA Wildfire Probe

Station fire, 42% contained, chars 148K acres

(Newser) - Investigators of a deadly Los Angeles wildfire are having a substance from the scene tested to confirm whether the blaze was man-made. “There was material that didn't belong there," a source tells the Los Angeles Times. "It was clear evidence that the fire was intentionally set....

LA Fire Began as Arson: Feds

With blaze having killed 2 firefighters, sheriff begins homicide investigation

(Newser) - The wildfire that has burned 144,000 acres north of Los Angeles was set by arsonists, the US Forest Service said this afternoon. With the blaze having killed two firefighters, authorities are now treating the matter as homicide, KTLA-TV reports, and the LA County Sheriff’s Department has begun an...

Kuwait Wedding Fire Linked to Groom's Ex

(Newser) - The fire that engulfed a wedding tent in Kuwait and killed 43 women and children in less than 3 minutes was set by the groom's ex-wife, local media reported today. A government spokesman confirmed that the arsonist has confessed, according to the AP, but offered no further details. The incident...

Activists Torch Drug CEO's Home, Steal Mom's Ashes

(Newser) - Animal rights militants have torched the home of the CEO of drug giant Novartis and stolen his mother's ashes from a Swiss cemetery, say company officials. Employees' cars have also been vandalized and attacked with crude explosive devices, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Palm Tree Blazes Baffle Texas Officials

(Newser) - Officials in the coastal Texas town of Galveston are baffled by a series of arson fires targeting palm trees, the Houston Chronicle reports. “This is strange,” the town’s fire marshal says of the spree, which has hit 30 trees since May. “It’s the first case...

Recession Drives Boom in Auto Fraud

(Newser) - Car-insurance fraud spurred by the recession is continuing unabated, Newsweek reports. “Give-ups”—feigning theft or arson to collect insurance money on an unwanted vehicle—are up 24% this year over last, according to an industry group. And claims stemming from suspicious car fires are up 27%. “Normally...

Arsonist Strikes Topless Maine Coffee Shop

(Newser) - The fire that destroyed a controversial topless coffee shop in Maine late last night was arson, the Kennebec Journal reports. The police are seeking witnesses “who might have seen vehicles parked in that general area around 1am Wednesday morning or anyone walking along the roadway.” Seven people escaped...

Arson Catches Fire as Car Insurance Fraud Climbs

(Newser) - Car owners sideswiped by the economy have spurred a nationwide wave of arson and abandonment—last-ditch attempts to collect on insurance, the Wall Street Journal reports. Auto arson claims rose 6% nationally in 2008; in some particularly speculative states, the rate jumped as much as 18%. “Lots of desperate...

Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Feb 27, 2009 3:13 PM CST

Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars

Sardonically named 'BMW' claims responsibility for arsons

(Newser) - As the financial crisis inflames class tensions, economic protest in Berlin has taken the form of arson attacks on luxury cars, Bloomberg reports. Activists have torched more than 2 dozen vehicles this year, and the pace is increasing. A group puckishly calling itself “BMW”—an acronym for "...

Aussie Arson Suspect Was Volunteer Firefighter

He's accused of lighting a fire that killed 21 people

(Newser) - The first suspect to be charged in one of the Australian blazes that killed as many as 300 people has been identified as a 39-year-old volunteer firefighter, reports the Times of London. He's accused of igniting a fire that killed 21 people 100 miles east of Melbourne. The suspect's identity...

Aussie Arson Suspect Charged
 Aussie Arson Suspect Charged 
Feb 13, 2009 3:12 AM CST

Aussie Arson Suspect Charged

Suspect is being held in secret location for his protection

(Newser) - An Australian man has been charged with setting one of the hundreds of deadly brushfires that swept across the state of Victoria, killing up to 300 people and destroying entire towns. He was charged with lethal arson linked to 10 of the deaths, and with possessing child pornography, reports the...

Aussie Police Question 2 Men About Wildfires

(Newser) - Police in Australia said they have questioned two people in connection to the raging wildfires that have killed more than 180 people in the state of Victoria. Police declined to say whether the two had been arrested or even detained, and released a statement that described them as "assisting...

Koala Rescued After Aussie Wildfire

(Newser) - When firefighter David Tree noticed the koala, it was moving gingerly over the blackened landscape, its scorched paws clearly causing pain. "I could see she had sore feet and was in trouble, so I pulled over the fire truck," Tree told the Herald Sun. “It was amazing,...

UK Cops Warn of Killer Stalking Facebook

Manhunt under way after ex-girlfriend's burned corpse is found

(Newser) - British police are hunting a suspected killer believed to have met his victim through Facebook, the Independent reports. The body of a former girlfriend of fairground worker George Appleton's was found burned in her home last week. Four more women have now come forward to say that they have been...

300 Feared Dead in Australia Fires

Task Force begins investigation

(Newser) - More than 300 people may have died in the devastating bushfires that have torched 850 square miles of southeast Australia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. While the official death toll stands at 173, an official warned that number would rise “steeply” as rescuers discover more bodies. Several people are...

Aussie Toll Hits 171; PM Cites 'Mass Murder'

Small town declared crime scene as devastation continues

(Newser) - The death toll from angry bushfires in Australia jumped to 171 today, reports Reuters, as the country's prime minister, fighting back tears, accused suspected arsonists of "mass murder." Up to 5,000 people have been left homeless; at one relief center, boards covered with Post-It notes beg for...

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