13 Identical Fires_ The Technique Of A Serial Arsonist _ The New Detectives

A fire erupts in a grocery store. An hour later, another in a car dealership. By morning, thirteen identical blazes have been set across a single county. The arsonist is watching from a nearby parking lot. He has done this before. He will do it again.In this episode of The New Detectives, the groundbreaking Discovery Channel series that aired from 1996 to 2004 and inspired CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, forensic investigators examine the case of a serial arsonist who used the same technique at thirteen different locations. The arsonist used a sophisticated timing device constructed from common household materials. The fires were not random. They were targeted at businesses whose owners had filed insurance claims in the previous year. ATF investigators analyzed the burn patterns and identified a unique signature: the presence of a specific accelerant rarely found in house fires. A nationwide database search linked the signature to unsolved arsons in three other states. The arsonist was a former firefighter who had been injured on the job and blamed the insurance companies for denying his claim.Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the firefighter who once saved lives was setting fires to get even.