Arson Meeting Scheduled

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(Washington-AP) -- Fire investigators from the District, Prince
George's County, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
plan to meet tomorrow to compare notes on about 18 arson fires in
the two jurisdictions.
The addition of A-T-F gets around jurisdictional boundaries
which have made it more difficult for officials to share
information.
P-G County fire spokesman Chauncy Bowers says the addition of
A-T-F, with its ability to cross jurisdictional lines, could make
the difference in the investigation.
There have been about a dozen fires in Prince George's County
and half a dozen in the District.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Investigators are on the hunt for a serial
arsonist in the Washington, D.C., area.
Five of 22 suspicious fires in Washington and Prince George's
County, Md., since March are conclusively linked, Prince George's
County Fire Chief Ron Blackwell said Thursday.
Blackwell and other district and county officials gathered
outside one of the torched homes on Southern Avenue, which borders
the two jurisdictions, to announce that a June 13 fire in Boulevard
Heights, Md., is definitely linked to three others in his county
and one in the district. "The physical evidence that links the
fires is a combination of ignitable liquids and the information
gathered through interviews," Blackwell said.
He also wanted to clear up misinformation about the number of
suspicious fires released Wednesday by the D.C. police and fire
departments. Officials had said Wednesday that 29 suspicious fires
were under investigation, but Blackwell said the additional seven
fires were listed on an internal document that investigators hadn't
agreed on.
Investigators are testing evidence from the 17 other suspicious
fires to see if they can be conclusively linked.
All the fires were set with a flammable liquid and happened
overnight at residential dwellings, sometimes while residents slept
inside, investigators said. One woman died in a June 5 blaze in
Northeast Washington and seven people have suffered minor injuries
in other fires.
"The person or persons who are committing these crimes have to
be stopped before they do more harm to neighborhoods, to
communities, to families, to our region," D.C. Mayor Anthony A.
Williams said. "They're putting our residents at risk and just as
importantly putting our firefighters at risk."
Authorities released a composite sketch Wednesday of a man they
described as a potential witness. The man was seen riding a bike at
the time of Monday morning's fire on Randolph Street in Northeast
Washington.
Firefighters were going door-to-door handing out fliers with
tips on how to protect a house from arson. The flier also lists the
kinds of clues investigators need to catch a suspect.
"You have to call 911 if you see suspicious activity that is an
emergency or call the tip line if you have any information,"
Williams said.
A reward also is being offered.
---
Editor's Note: The tip line number is 301-77-ARSON
---
On the Net:
Prince George's County: http://www.goprincegeorgescounty.com
D.C. Fire and EMS: http://fems.dc.gov/main.shtm

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Investigators look into Southwest apartment building arson fires

(Washington-AP) -- Investigators are looking into whether fires
at a Southwest D-C apartment building could be connected to a
serial arsonist.
A small fire was set around 5 a-m near an apartment door on the
fourth floor at one-thousand Sixth Street.
D-C Fire and Emergency Medical Services spokesman Alan Etter
says there was another fire set in the fifth floor hallway of the
building last Thursday. At least seven people were rescued. The
next day someone poured a flammable liquid in the fourth floor
hallway, but it was never ignited.
Etter says an ignitable liquid was used in all the blazes.
Investigators can't yet say whether these fires are linked to 22
other suspicious fires in D-C and Prince George's County. Those
fires are considered similar in nature. And out of that list, five
have been conclusively linked to one another. In all the fires, a
flammable liquid was used to ignite houses or apartment buildings.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Serial Arson

Five days without sign of arsonist

(Washington-AP) -- It's been several days since a fire was added
to the list of 22 considered similar in nature. And authorities
admit they're at a loss to explain it.
The last fire was Wednesday, on 17th Street, Southeast. That's
one of the longest stretches since the series of 13 D-C fires and
nine in Prince George's County began.
P-G Fire Chief Ron Blackwell admits it's difficult to say why
things have gotten quiet.
The P-G tip line has received more than 50 calls, and Blackwell
is again urging anyone with information on any of the fires either
in his county or in the District to call 301-77-ARSON.
With the arsonist on the loose, Blackwell says he goes to sleep
with one ear on his pager and the other on his T-V -- hoping
nothing else happens.



(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Fires were set with gas in container

(Washington-AP) -- Investigators say the five fires that have
been conclusively linked to the D-C area's serial arsonist were all
started in a similar fashion.
Law enforcement sources tell The Washington Post that the
evidence shows they were ignited with gasoline in a container and a
flammable cloth. Investigators hope to determine by the end of the
week if any of the 17 other suspicious fires since March in Prince
George's County and the District are linked to the serial arsonist.
They're taking a second look at evidence that may have seemed
insignificant at the time of the blazes, such as a burned container
or cloth that was thought to have been left on the porch by the
owner.
Officials say once they look at all the evidence, the number of
cases tied to the serial arsonist may end up being considerably
fewer than 22.