Fires

Arsonist Sets Peoria Beauty School Ablaze

Peoria PD is looking for an arsonist with a grudge against a beauty school.  A fire broke out last night around 11 p.m. in the 11000 block of North 99th Avenue and destroyed the school and several other buildings beside it in the strip mall.

Bryan Teague, Accused of Starting 5,000-Acre Fire in Tonto Forest With Propane Tank, Set for April 8 Bench Trial

A three-day bench trial has been scheduled for Bryan Teague, the Peoria man who authorities say admitted to starting last summer's "Mistake Peak" fire with a propane tank. Despite his admission, Teague has pleaded not guilty to three misdemeanor charges: carelessly placing or throwing a substance t ... More >>

Tempe Police Say Nimrod, Cody Nimrod, Was Caught Setting Fire to Dumpsters

Police arrested a Nimrod -- specifically, Cody Nimrod -- while he was in the middle of an arson spree in Tempe early Sunday morning.After lighting up five dumpsters, a car, and stuff in an alley around 3 a.m. Sunday, police found Nimrod in the act of setting another fire, according to information pr ... More >>

Construction Worker Dead After Accident at Former Home of "Burning Man" Michael Marin

A construction worker died yesterday morning at the still-ruined former mansion of "Burning Man" Michael Marin, who torched the house at 71 Biltmore Estates Drive in July, 2009.Phoenix police Sergeant Trent Crump tells New Times that a man working for the home's new owner was crushed by a large, rol ... More >>

Shapiro/Gaudet Murders: County Attorney to Seek Death Penalty for Michael Crane

See also: Shapiro/Gaudet Murders: Slightly Less Redacted Police Reports ReleasedSee also: Michael Crane "Refused" to Go to Court TodaySee also: See also: Michael Crane Indicted in Murders of P.V. Couple and Bruce GaudetSee also: P.V. Murders: Heavily Redacted Arrest Report ReleasedThe Maricopa Count ... More >>

Dwandarrius Robinson Gets the Nancy Grace Treatment for Allegedly Lighting Pregnant Girlfriend on Fire

See also: Dwandarrius Robinson Accused of Murdering Pregnant GirlfriendIf you're the subject of Nancy Grace's TV show, you probably messed up somewhere.Phoenix resident Dwandarrius Robinson (D'Wandarrius, according to his Facebook page) was featured on last night's program because the body of his pr ... More >>

Dwandarrius Robinson Accused of Murdering Pregnant Girlfriend, Failing to Burn Down the Crime Scene

A Phoenix man is accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend last week, as police say his story unraveled because he failed to properly light the crime scene on fire.Dwandarrius Robinson, 21, faces murder, arson, and kidnapping charges after the body of his girlfriend, Shaniqua Hall, was found boun ... More >>

Sadie Johnson Earns a Trip to Prison for Binding and Gagging Toddlers, Lighting Trailer on Fire With Them Inside

Sadie Johnson told the cops she didn't like babysitting her sisters -- ages 1, 2, and 4 -- a job she often had to do when her mother was going out with her boyfriend.Johnson, then 17, finally got out of it -- after she was arrested for binding and gagging her two younger siblings, and leaving all th ... More >>

Michael Marin Probably Took Cyanide, MCSO Says; Joe Arpaio Tells Everyone Where to Buy It

See also: Burning Man: An Attorney Says He Escaped His Blazing Home Using Scuba Gear; Now He's Charged with ArsonSee also: Michael Marin, "Burning Man," May Have Committed Suicide in the CourtroomMichael Marin probably popped a cyanide pill after a jury handed down a guilty verdict against him in hi ... More >>

Kenneth Evans Set His Ex-Wife's Bed on Fire -- Again

Kenneth Robert Evans apparently would like his ex-wife to be in bed when he drops by her place for a visit.That seems to be the case because when his ex-wife's not in bed, Evans, 38, has a tendency to light the bed on fire.Evans was arrested Monday for the latest bed-torching, according to court doc ... More >>

Michael Marin, "Burning Man," Found Guilty of Arson

UPDATE: Michael Marin has been transported to a hospital. He collapsed shortly after the verdict was read.A jury found "Burning Man" Michael Marin guilty of arson of an occupied structure today for burning down his Biltmore Estates mansion in July 2009. Marin gave his explanation to New Times writer ... More >>

Michael Marin, "Burning Man," Had Some Sort of "Medical Emergency" After Verdict Read

We're not at the Maricopa County Superior Court, but a court spokesman tells New Times that "Burning Man" Michael Marin collapsed after his guilty verdict was announced.The Arizona Republic's Michael Kiefer was in the courtroom, and is saying Marin had a seizure after the verdict was read -- as Mari ... More >>

Michael Crane Indicted in Murders of Paradise Valley Couple And Bruce Gadet

​A grand jury indicted the six suspects arrested in connection with both the murder of Paradise Valley couple Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro, as well as Bruce Gaudet's murder in Phoenix last month.Michael Crane was charged with the first-degree murder of the Schapiros, as well as Gaudet.That grand ju ... More >>

Alleged Super-Stalker Gregg Pfeifer Pleads Not Guilty to Stalking, Arson Charges

FacebookGregg Pfeifer's got a little bit of a stalking problem.​A Phoenix man who spent a good portion of 2011 stalking his ex-girlfriend was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to one count of arson, one count of stalking, and six counts of aggravated haras ... More >>

Gregg Pfeifer Has a Little Bit of a Stalking Problem

​Since July, Phoenix police have received at least 33 reports that Gregg Pfeifer, 35, has been stalking a former girlfriend. He's allegedly made multiple harassing phone calls, drives by the victim's house repeatedly, and has sent several threatening emails.Early yesterday morning, police say, Pfe ... More >>

Former County Constable Jonathan Levenson Busted in Anti-Semitic Scam to Torch Home For Insurance Payout

Tempe Police DepartmentJonathan Levenson​A former Maricopa County constable was arrested over the weekend after police say he conspired to burn his house down so he could collect an insurance payout.According to the Tempe Police Department, former Kyrene Justice Court Constable Jonathan Harold Irw ... More >>

Meth and Stupidity Likely to Blame for Phoenix Man's Shirtless Ambulance Joyride

MCSOTravis Ward​It takes some big cojones to steal an ambulance from the scene of a fire -- or, apparently, a bloodstream filled with crystal meth, to which a Phoenix man is crediting his meth-fueled joyride in a stolen ambulance.According to court documents obtained by New Times, 28-year-old Trav ... More >>

Sadie Johnson, 17, Charged After Allegedly Setting Trailer on Fire with Bound Siblings Inside

shineanthology.wordpress.com​Angry and left alone to babysit, a 17-year-old girl set her Guadalupe trailer home on fire last week after binding two of her younger sisters together with tape and leaving them inside, investigators say.The children, thankfully, survived. Guadalupe firefigh ... More >>

Honoring the People Who Died Listening to Great White and the People Who Didn't

Safeway Worker Arrested for Torching Phoenix Store (Cue Milton Waddams Clip)

Eli Rabago​An employee at a Phoenix Safeway was arrested yesterday for allegedly setting fire to the store last week, causing more than $100,000 in damages.Eli Rabago, 18, was arrested yesterday for starting last Wednesday's blaze at the Safeway near 32nd Street and Thunderbird Road.Rabago has rep ... More >>

Suspected Meth Dealer Accidentally Sets Trailer on Fire as SWAT Team Serves Search Warrant. Cause of Blaze: Meth, Of Course

Pinal County Sheriff's OfficeMichael Thornborrow's initial reaction to seeing the SWAT Team surround his house was to run inside and smoke some meth.​When 47-year-old Michael Thornborrow watched from his backyard as the SWAT team from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office surrounded his trailer yester ... More >>

Building Fire Leads Police to Murdered Phoenix Man

www.indiainfo.com​A building fire in a west Phoenix industrial building this morning led fire officials to discover a dead body and police say was the victim was murdered.At about 4:45 a.m., the Phoenix Fire Department responded to a fire alarm that went off in the 1200 block of south 35th Avenue. ... More >>

Hot Links: SRP Fire, Rancher Killed, and Cocaine Trafficking

​A huge fire early this morning at a Salt River Project substation sent a big smoke plume several miles to the west. The burning transformer, at the SRP substation near 121st Avenue and Broadway Road, hasn't caused any reported power outages so far. A dozen firefighters battled the blaze through t ... More >>

Hot Links: Cremation, Fish on Feet, and Ranch Market Blaze

​Some counties in Arizona have turned to cremating the indigent. Citing budget woes, lack of space, and the high cost of burials, Yavapai, Navajo, and Yuma counties have begun cremating the indigent rather than burying them in paupers' graves. Indigents are still buried in Maricopa County, but off ... More >>

Train Hits Man Placing Coin on the Tracks in Tempe

​A Valley man is in rough shape today after being hit by a train Saturday night in Tempe.If you lived near train tracks when you were 12-years-old you probably know how cool it is to put a coin on the tracks and watch a train flatten it. That's apparently what this numskull was trying to do only h ... More >>

Hot Links: SRP, Wild Burros, and a SWAT Standoff

​Electrical workers with the Salt River Project (SRP) power company will meet tonight in Phoenix to discuss issues between their union and the company. Some workers say they're not happy with their contracts and will walk off the job if their demands are not met. The union's Web site says contract ... More >>

Phoenix Police Looking For Arsonist Believed to Have Torched Two Cars and a Shed

​Phoenix police are looking for the person responsible for torching two cars and a shed in a North Phoenix neighborhood last night.

Hot Links: Tempe Town Lake, ASU Downtown, and Salty Dog

​John Jay O'Connor III, husband of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, has died. O'Connor, 79, died of complications stemming from Alzheimer's Disease on Wednesday. Memorial services will be private...After a pickup truck went into Tempe Town Lake on Wednesday, divers searched the w ... More >>

Hot Links: Freeway Projects, Electric Light Parade, and McCain

​Citing falling tax revenues, the Regional Council of the Maricopa Association of Governments has voted to cut back on freeway expansion projects. MAG cut the $16 billion program to $9.4 billion. The South Mountain freeway project, which would relieve congestion on the I1-0, survived the cuts...Ch ... More >>

Young Champions of America Rising From Ashes of Arson Fire; Company Offers Low-Cost Classes for Kids

The arson fire​ of June 14 at the Young Champions of America headquarters burned up every scrap of administrative records and melted scores of awards and trophies amassed over the years. Rory Hood, the company's owner, considered quitting the business "for about an hour." Then he heard t ... More >>

Bees Strike Again: Man Stung Severely Just Hours After Attack on Elderly Woman

​Run and hide! The Phoenix bee invasion has claimed yet another victim.Just hours after an 81-year-old woman was attacked yesterday by a swarm of Africanized bees near 33rd Avenue, south of Cactus Road, a 72-year-old man, on the other side of town, was also attacked.Phoenix Fire Department off ... More >>

Biltmore Mansion Fire Arrest: Cops Say Owner Destroyed His Own $3.5 Million Home

  Image: Marin's Facebook page​The owner of a $3.5 million mansion in the Biltmore Estates was arrested today by Phoenix police in connection with an arson fire that burned the place to the ground. Michael Marin told Channel 15 (KNXV-TV) today that he was "utterly shocked" at the accus ... More >>

Death Valley: Burned Body Found in Church Trash Can

www.clker.com​ Fire crews battling a blaze at the Covenant of Grace Christian Fellowship Church at the corner of 9th Avenue and Peoria Avenue found the body of a 46-year-old man in a church trash can early this morning. The body was so badly burned that, at first, police couldn't deter ... More >>

June 8 In Blogs: The Aggrolites, Skyy Vodka, DMX, and More

In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Up on the Sun:The Aggrolites, Pool Parties, Mixology, First Friday, "Butterscotch Swag" and More Over the Weeke ... More >>

Terry Goddard's Garage Fire Caused by Refrigerator or Outlet, Says Fire Department

The early-morning fire at Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard's downtown Phoenix home was caused by a refrigerator in his detached garage or an outlet the fridge was plugged into, fire officials tell New Times.Neighbors reportedly saw 40-foot flames at the structure. The garage is used as a w ... More >>

Hot Links: Downtown Phoenix Still Seeks Identity; Jury Still Out in Serial Shooter Case; Fast-Track Deportations of Criminals Concerns Immigration Advocates

City boosters want downtown Phoenix to have a "brand" -- as soon as someone can figure out what it might be... The jury is still out this morning in the trial of alleged serial shooter Dale Hausner after deliberating all day Friday -- is it really that hard?... Illegal immigrant advocates ... More >>

"Edifice Lex" Burns Down on East Roosevelt

Marshall and the Madhouse

Reignited

How the Walnuts survived a raging house fire, two comas, and a near fatal rollover — and documented it

The Best Damn Rap Tour

Passive resistance -- with Kevlar

Rap Attack

Sheriff Joe Arpaio creates a musical monster

Fire

Phoenix's negligence left hundreds sick from toxic fumes. It's only a matter of time before it happens again.

Hot Stuff

From street graffiti to body rocking, the Arsonists preserve the old-school arts

Flashes

From the week of February 22, 2001

Letters

From the week of February 15, 2001

Immaculate Heartbreak

Three months after a fire gutted Phoenix's oldest Hispanic Catholic church, its pastor is feeling the heat and parishioners are steaming

Match Game 2000

Inflammatory signs ignite North Central neighborhood battle

Case Time Line

Fire Truculence

Is it a case of rogue firefighters or meddling city managers? Whatever it is, the Phoenix Fire Department isn't used to the scrutiny it's getting from City Hall.

Rescue Workers Grilled in Derailment Probe

Investigators check background of firefighter, repeatedly interview thosewho responded to wreck site