From Fire Department spokesman Bill Kaempffer:
A reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the person or people responsible for five fires at four vacant houses on Christmas Eve.
On Monday December 24, 2012, between the hours of 1:55pm and 9:30pm the Bridgeport Fire Department responded to multiple structure fires at various addresses, including Olive Street, Center Street, Madison Court and George Street.
The fires resulted in the minor injuries of several firefighters and a civilian fatality.
All of the fires are currently being investigated as intentionally set. The Bridgeport Fire Marshal’s Office, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit are investigating.
An autopsy on the victim is tentative scheduled for this weekend. As of today, the person remains unidentified.
Anyone with information regarding these fires is urged to contact the Connecticut Arson Tip Hotline at 800-84-ARSON (800) 842-7766. All tips will remain confidential. A $2,500 reward is offered for information leading the arrest, prosecution and conviction of those responsible.
The Fire Marshal’s office has a very tough job ahead of them. This would be a good time to hand out the TIPS program forms and self-addressed envelopes to all the residents in the arson-hit neighborhoods. The residents can fill these out and mail them in without fear of being known. The envelopes are prepaid. Without community help these crimes will continue.
The residents of the areas affected by the fires are paying the price for what the city has done and for what the city has not done.
1. They disbanded a full-time arson squad and give lip service to fire investigation.
2. They have allowed vacant and abandoned buildings to stay that way for years, they then become attractive nuisances subject to vandalism and fires.
3. They have totally ignored a citizen idea for gaining information on crimes from ordinarily reluctant citizens. Chief Gaudett has known about the Tips program since June but has remained silent. Unlike the gun buy-back program the tips program costs the city nothing.The TIPS program guarantees a person making a report is 100% unknown.
4. the city has enough city attorneys to get the proper paperwork to demolish these vacant eyesores. The city has the equipment to do the demolition.
One has to wonder if these fires were in Black Rock, what would happen?
At some point when the firefighters were battling the fires, the arsonist was most likely present in the scene as a spectator. A $2,500 reward is just too low considering one person died and the arsonist kept going for hours.
Fight fire with fire. Upon conviction, tie the arsonist’s hands with wire on top of a barbecue grill. Allow Fardy and Mackey 10 minutes to grill the arsonist’s hands. Flip over hands; 10 more minutes.
Paging all OIB witches!!!
There is someone in the hollow who knows who set these fires. This person needs to tell someone of his exploits. Imagine setting five or six fires and getting away with it, he has to tell someone.
This type of investigation is long and tedious. It takes a lot of time to go door to door or to talk to some of the hollow denizens. I wish the investigators well and hope they catch this jerk.
*** Sounds like the same firebug on some of these! Check the recent releases within the last two years on repeat firebugs then spread a few ha;f pints around at the homeless hangouts for some possible info, no? ***