Fires

Bryan Teague of Peoria Accused of Starting 5,220-Acre "Mistake Peak Fire" With Propane Tank in Tonto National Forest

Putting a propane tank in a campfire turns out to be an even stupider idea than we thought. After Bryan J. Teague of Peoria put a 16-ounce tank in a campfire on August 8 while on an off-roading trip in the Tonto National Forest, the predictable explosion sparked the 5,220-acre "Mistake Peak Fire," ... More >>

Michael Crane, Paradise Valley Murder Suspect, May Want to Represent Himself

After a few rounds of mental-competency hearings, Michael Crane -- accused of murdering Paradise Valley couple Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro and Phoenix man Bruce Gaudet -- would now like to represent himself against charges of murder, kidnapping, arson, and burglary.A court spokesman says Crane and h ... More >>

Young Champions to Celebrate New Building in Scottsdale and Company's Recovery From 2009 Arson Fire That Killed Employee

​Young Champions, a Valley-based youth organization that teaches kids karate, cheerleading, and other activites, wants you to know it's back in action following a horrific 2009 arson fire. Tomorrow, (March 31), the company will host a grand-opening celebration for its new Scottsdale office at 1645 ... More >>

Good News: Giant Plume of Smoke From APS Transformer Fire Won't Kill You

​There's good news and bad news about the transformer that caught fire in Phoenix last night.The good news: the enormous plume of smoke that is currently drifting West over downtown Phoenix is non-toxic.The bad news: the smoke could be here for a while -- Phoenix fire crews are going to let the fi ... More >>

Suzanne Izenberg Tried to Burn Down Her Own House Three Times in Less Than Two Years

MCSOSuzanne Izenberg's a bit of a fire bug.​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 s ... More >>

Drunk Phoenix Woman Sets House on Fire After Husband Bans Her From Drinking at Home

MCSOLinda Velarde: the poster child for bad drunks.​Linda Velarde, 48, is what some might call a "bad drunk." In fact, she gets so violent when she drinks that her husband banned her from tying one on in the Phoenix home the couple shares -- so she set the house on fire with him inside.According t ... More >>

Tempe Man Sets Own Apartment on Fire. Then Blames Blaze on "Bitch" Next Door, According to Police

MCSOJason Moniodis​A Tempe man set his own apartment on fire Friday night, tried to blame the blaze on his next door neighbor, and then laid down on the ground in front of the burning building and started screaming, according to court documents obtained by New Times.When police got to the apartmen ... More >>

Justin Lunsford Gets 23 Years in Prison For Fatally Stabbing Woman Before Setting House on Fire

MCSO Justin Wade Lunsford​A Cave Creek man who stabbed a woman to death before setting her house on fire has been sentenced to 23 years in prison, Maricopa County Superior Court officials announced this afternoon.Justin Wade Lunsford pleaded guilty in to second-degree murder and&n ... More >>

SRP Transformer Catches Fire -- 80,000 Residents in Mesa and Apache Junction Without Power

employeenetwork.com​About 80,000 people in Mesa and Apache Junction are currently without power due to a fire on a Salt River Project transformer. The transformer -- located on the corner of Power Road and University Drive in northeast Mesa -- caught fire this morning about 11:45, leaving about ... More >>

Dead Body Found in Burning Truck at Tonto National Forest

Gila County Sheriff's Office An unidentified dead body was found in this truck after fire officials extinguished a blaze that burned it to a crisp.​When authorities from the U.S. Forest Service and Arizona Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a fire off a Forest Service road ... More >>

Christopher Benitez Found Guilty of Negligent Homicide and Arson in '01 Firefighter's Death

  Christopher Benitez was found guilt of negligent homicide and arson today in the 2001 death of firefighter Bret Tarver.​Christopher Benitez's second chance at trying to prove he wasn't responsible for the 2001 death of a Phoenix firefighter didn't work out well. The  ... More >>

Burning Toast Prompts Chandler Woman to Jump Off Balcony

Toast! Ruuuuuuuun!​A Chandler woman escaped certain death a lousy breakfast yesterday morning -- when she noticed her toast was burning, she panicked and jumped off the balcony of her apartment.Chandler fire officials say fire units responded to the "fire" at 800 North Federal Street near Ray Road ... More >>

Arsonist Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison; Still Faces Five Murder Charges

unodc.org Have fun trying to burn down your new place.​Arsonist and alleged penta-murderer William Craig Miller was sentenced today to 16 years in prison in a 2005 arson case, which probably doesn't sound that bad to Miller, since prosecutors will seek the death penalty in his upcoming murd ... More >>

Phoenix Woman Mad at Friends -- So She Set Her Apartment Building on Fire

If you're friends with Tiffanie Worz, don't make her angry...for her neighbors' sake.​A Phoenix woman was arrested yesterday for trying to burn her apartment building to the ground. When asked later why she set the blaze, 37-year-old Tiffanie Worz told investigators she was having a hard time secu ... More >>

Cave Creek Man Pleads Guilty in Woman's Gruesome 2008 Death

Justin Wade Lunsford​A Cave Creek man accused of stabbing a woman to death and then setting fire to her house in July 2008 pleaded guilty to her murder Thursday. Justin Wade Lunsford, 28, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and arson of an occupied structure in the death of 29-year-old Mar ... More >>

Alleged Serial Arsonist's Solution to Mold Problem: Set Building on Fire

Richard Goodwin set a hotel room on fire to draw attention to a mold problem.​For every problem, there's a solution. For a Phoenix man, the solution to a mold problem in a hotel in which he was staying was to set the building on fire, according to court documents obtained by New Times.About 7:45 a ... More >>

Man Burned Alive in Mysterious Phoenix Car Fire. Dead Dog Found in Trunk

www.myfreewallpaper.net​An unidentified man is dead after he was seen engulfed in flames on a Phoenix street Saturday morning. The man's car was also on fire when police responded to the scene, and authorities want to know what happened.Phoenix police and fire officials responded to a call a ... More >>

Cat Dead, Dog Injured in Phoenix Arson Fire. Humans OK

www.icanhascheezburger.com​A cat is dead and a family dog is seriously injured following a Phoenix house fire police suspect is arson.According to the Phoenix Police Department, about 1 a.m. yesterday, officers were called to 3300 West Dunlap Avenue in Phoenix, where there had been an apartment fi ... More >>

Phoenix Homeless Man Actually Paid for Gasoline. Then Set House on Fire

MCSO Frutoso Gallegos​One of the City of Phoenix's countless homeless men apparently doesn't have enough money for a house -- but he had enough money to buy gasoline so he could set one on fire.According to court documents obtained by New Times, 62-year-old Frutoso Gallegos went to a gas st ... More >>

Apartment Fire Blamed on Bed Bugs -- and Suspected Drunk Guy Who Tried to Set Them on Fire

MCSOHarold Kelley had a bit of a bed bug problem.​As the saying goes: "goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite." For a Phoenix man, he may have included "or set your apartment on fire" to the end of that bedtime saying because he's blaming bedbugs for a blaze at his Phoenix apartme ... More >>

Recent Grads of Phoenix Charter School Try to Set Classroom on Fire; Cause More Than $100,000 in Damage

www.cafepress.co.uk​Rather than take their diplomas and put their teenage angst behind them, three recent grads of a Phoenix charter school decided to go back for one last hurrah -- which included trashing the place and setting it on fire, Phoenix fire officials say.Phoenix Fire Investigations Dir ... More >>

Tempe House Fire Blows Door 25 Feet into Road; Firefighters Injured. Get Your Somewhat-Impressive, Grainy Cell Phone Pics Here

www.homevideos.com​A fire gutted a downtown Tempe home Saturday night, injuring three firefighters and blowing the front door of the house about 25 feet onto Mill Avenue.The blaze started around 10:40 p.m. Saturday at a home located at 1204 South Mill Avenue -- across from ASU and just south of th ... More >>

Blooze Bar Scorched Due To After-Hours Fire

What's left of the Blooze Bar after this morning's fire.​Flames engulfed North Phoenix rock club the Blooze Bar early this morning, leaving the interior of the renowned music venue located at 32nd Street and Cactus charred and largely destroyed. According to the Arizona Republic, the fire b ... More >>

Jeffrey Otto Sentenced to 10 Years for Young Champions Arson Fire

Jeffrey Otto was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role as one of four arsonists involved in last year's fire at the Young Champions of America headquarters in Phoenix. Otto, 20, had been the last of the three surviving arsonists to plead guilty to the crime that ... More >>

Young Champions Arson Nets Final Guilty Plea; Third Karate Instructor Admits to Crime That Killed Friend

  Jeff Otto is the last one of three surviving arsonists to plead guilty in the June 14, 2009 torching of the Young Champions of America headquarters in Phoenix​The third member of a group of karate instructors who burned down the Young Champions of America headquarters last June, ... More >>

Rodeo Performer Accused of Torching Carefree-Area Home; Arrested After Months of Living "The Cowboy Way"

A rodeo performer accused of torching his Carefree-area home in 2007 to collect the insurance money has been arrested after more than a year on the lam. Aaron Jeter, 41, conspired with two other men to burn down the custom-built home at 613 West Galvin, just north of Carefree, a Maricopa County ... More >>

Hot Links: Chandler Mardi Gras, Glendale Fire, and CityNorth

​A disabled train blocked traffic in the state Capitol area in west Phoenix this morning. The train, which is about 100 cars long, is sitting at the intersection of 19th Avenue and Buchanan. Police say it may take several hours to move, and are advising motorists to take an alternate route, such a ... More >>

Durant's Closes Due to Fire

Early this morning, a small kitchen fire broke out at Durant's, the legendary lounge that hosted the likes of Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne in its heyday. The blaze was quickly contained by firefighters, but there was some minor damage to the building's roof and ventilation system. No one was injure ... More >>

Hot Links: Power Outages, Sneaky Toddlers, and Photo Radar

​Representative Doug Quelland must give up his seat in the legislature. Quelland was found to have violated campaign finance rules earlier this year. Quelland plans to appeal the ruling in Maricopa Superior Court...A fire broke out in the auditorium at Red Mountain High School in Me ... More >>

Burning Man: An Attorney Says He Escaped His Blazing Home Using Scuba Gear; Now He’s Charged with Arson

Breaking News: Richardson's Cuisine of New Mexico Burns to Ground

Richardson's Cuisine of New Mexico A fire broke out at Richardson's Cuisine of New Mexico restaurant on Bethany Home Road earlier this afternoon, and is still raging as firefighters attempt to put out the blaze. One of the owners reported the fire at 2:02 this afternoon, according to Phoenix Fire ... More >>

Dog Day Afternoon

Sheriff Joe's goons launched an assault to make a misdemeanor arrest. The Raid left a burned house, a terrified neighborhood and a dead dog

Friend in Need

Arsonist buddy was promised cash for capture

Smoke and Mirrors

Arrest of alleged Preserve arsonist brings more questions than answers

Burning Questions

Phoenix Mountains Preserve arrest ignites flurry of speculation

Under Fire

Property owner threatened by arsonist says he won't back down

Arson Exclusive

A new note, the Biltmore fire, the U.S. Attorney General

Strong Shield

Lawmen not entitled to reporter's materials, judge rules

The Waiting Game

It's all quiet on the Preserve front

Letters

From the week of February 8, 2001

The Story of Us

Often, the worst characters possess the best information

Letters

New Times' exclusive interview with the Preserves arsonist generates passionate response

Authenticating the Arsonist

Is this guy for real?

Letters

From the week of January 25, 2001

An Exclusive Interview With the Preserves Arsonist

He is smart. He is professional. He is everything you don't expect.

Burn, Baby, Burn

'Stop urban sprawl!' 'Burn the rich!' 'An acre an hour is obscene!' Is it any wonder some are rooting for the arsonists?

The Eternal Flame Part 2

Three decades ago, an unsolved murder case and arson fire scarred Lori Romaneck for life. Since 1993, she's been fighting a bureaucratic backdraft to set the record straight.

The Eternal Flame

Lori Romaneck sorts through the ashes of a decades-old murder mystery and bungled investigations that forever changed her life

Case Time Line

THE SOURING INFERNO

LAST MONTH, THE RURAL/METRO FIRE DEPARTMENT BATTLED THE 23,000-ACRE RIO BLAZE. BUT AFTER THE FIRE WAS OUT, THE COMPANY STILL HADN'T COOLED ITS CRITICS.