When Suzanne Izenberg was arrested for arson yesterday, the arresting officer suggested to the court that she not be released on bail because she's a drug abuser and there's a good chance she'll try to set something else on fire -- which makes a lot of sense considering she's tried to burn down her own house three times in less than two years.
Izenberg's latest blaze happened in August, and it seems she was hell-bent on letting the flames consume her entire home, which is pretty selfish -- her house is attached to four other homes with a shared attic.
According to court documents obtained by New Times, about 9 a.m. on August 19, police were dispatched to Izenberg's home to respond to her latest fire.
When fire crews got to her house, Izenberg was holding her patio door
shut to keep them from entering and extinguishing the flames. She
screamed at firemen, telling them to "get out," saying she didn't want
them in there.
Meanwhile, fire crews saw smoke pouring out of a window. A responding police officer
physically removed Izenberg -- who continued to try to keep fire crews
from entering her house (she was ultimately placed in handcuffs) -- and
put out the fire.
Following an investigation into the fire, arson investigators determined
the fire started in a room in the home Izenberg uses as an office --
which is exactly where two previous fires at the house started. During
the investigation, a lighter, over 60 burnt matches, syringes, and other
drug paraphernalia were found in the office.
Izenberg told detectives an unknown intruder had broken into her home,
started the fire, and left. She, however, remained -- when police got to
the house she was covered in ash and had burns on her legs. She later
claimed the fire started when she accidentally knocked over a candle.
The cost of the damage for that fire was about $15,000, which is nothing
compared to the price tag for a fire Izenberg set in 2009.
On November 19, 2009, fire crews responded to a blaze in the same home.
Arson detectives determined the fire was started in the office by an
open-flame device and was accelorated by rubbing alcohol. Izenberg told
police she accidentally spilled lamp oil while lighting a candle.
The cost of the damage caused by that fire was in the ballpark of $130,000.
Izenberg started another fire at her house on June 18. She claimed she
burned a turkey leg she was cooking in her oven. Like the other fires,
however, arson detectives determined the fire was started in the office.
There was no fire damage in the kitchen and detectives determined the
fire had at least five points of origin, all of which were in the
office.
Izenberg was booked into jail on one count each of arson and endangerment.
