INVESTIGATIONS

This fire was a result of arson the fire occurred between the hours of 3:30am and 3:45am on the morning of July 30th. 2006. at 3733 Gallia St. in New Boston across from the Kiwanis apts. The house was a total loss. Anyone that may have been in the area on the night of the fire or saw someone prior to the fire is urged to call the New Boston Fire Dept. there is up to a   $5,000.00 dollar reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for this fire

This fire was a result of arson. The fire occurred at approximately 10:45p.m. on sun. July 30th in the

 

                 4300 Blk. Of Gallia St. in New Boston. There was a male seen leaving from the area on foot he was running in the area of M&P printing on Lakeview Ave. toward Millbrook Apt. anyone who may have saw someone in the area is urged to call the New Boston Fire Dept.
PRESS RELEASE

Hobbs currently looking into an arson fire at 166 Crull St. in West Portsmouth,” said Ken Crawford, assistant chief for the southeastern district of the state fire marshal's office. “About two weeks ago, there was a car fire at that location, the home of Christopher and Annette Fields, and it spread to the carport. Now, at around 5:30 p.m. last Friday, their house was set on fire.”
Three other Scioto County fires in the last month are being treated as suspected arsons: 1804 Ohio 139 in the Eden Park area, 3735 Gallia St. in New Boston and 1347 12th St. in West Portsmouth. Investigation of a fire at Scioto Furnace United Methodist Church, 191 Great Meadow Road, on Aug. 18 resulted in the arrest of Jonathan Rawlins, of Portsmouth.
Arson investigations are an ongoing process in the area. Hobbs is one of 17 arson investigators in the state.
“I have a current case load of about 100 fires to investigate. There's never a lack of work,” he said. “You have to go in and determine if it is arson, then start gathering evidence. You then present the evidence to the prosecutor, who decides if he wants to indict. And then the investigator testifies before a grand jury, followed by testifying in court, so it's an ongoing job.”
Arson in Scioto County was on the increase in 2005. Statistics from the state fire marshal's office show 60 structure arsons, 21 involving vehicles and 39 outside in 2005, for a total of 120 arson fires with a total loss of $1,054,550. There were 98 arson cases in 2004 and 61 in 2003.

 

Hobbs said 45 to 50 possible arson fires have been investigated so far this year.
“These numbers fluctuate from year to year, so you never know how it will be,” said Crawford. “What people need to know is that just because we are called in to a suspicious fire doesn't necessarily mean it will be an arson scene.”
Crawford says his department is now seeing more violent arson cases.
People setting fires in occupied dwellings, fires set with no regard for human life - these are usually fires of vengeance, or just plain anger, sometimes (over) a break-up in a relationship,” he said. “I have been in this business for 30 years and I have come to believe that under the right set of circumstances, everybody is capable of setting a fire.”

 

 

Someone who sets a fire with people in the house may face many different charges.
“We will charge them with aggravated murder for everyone who dies in the fire and for every person who was in the dwelling. We will file aggravated arson charges against the arsonist, as well as a count of arson for each apartment in a building,” Crawford said.
Shane Cartmill, public information officer for the fire marshal's office, said he is surprised at how lightly people take setting fires.
“There were some students setting couches on fire at Ohio State University and they couldn't see the big deal in it. Every fire is a potential disaster,” he said.
Cartmill and Crawford agreed that those charged with arson are from every part of society.
“I have charged people as young as 6 all the way up to an 80-year-old grandmother,” said Crawford.
Crawford said it takes nearly $50,000 to train and equip an investigator and the training is rigorous.
“It's continuous training, and with our involvement with homeland security now, we have even more in-depth training,” he said. “An investigator has to have five years investigative experience and 600-plus hours of training. And even if we hire someone new who already has fire investigating experience, they have to go through our training program just like everyone else.”
Investigators in the state fire marshal's office use a computerized mapping system through 18 satellites and global positioning system equipment to electronically map out the scene, Crawford said. And he said the local lab processes evidence within seven to 10 days, much faster than the average national lab's 18-day time frame.
Crawford said the sooner an investigator arrives on the scene of a possible arson, the more likely it is the cause of the fire will be determined.
While members of the fire marshal's team say there is probably no clear-cut way to prevent an arson, there are steps people can take to lower the chances of their home catching fire by other means.
“Did you know that 80 to 90 percent of homes don't have a working smoke detector?” said Cartmill. “If you add one smoke detector to your home, your chances of not dying in a fire go up 50 percent. People should also plan for fires and work out an alternate exit from their home. Another thing they can do is keep their home clutter-free.”
Anyone with information about a suspected arson fire can call the state fire marshal's tip line at (800) 589-2728.
“No matter how insignificant the person may think their tip is, it's all part of the information needed in the investigation,” Crawford said. “And it doesn't matter how long it has been, five hours or five years, we need all the help the public can provide.”
CLOSED WITH ARRESTCLOSED WITH ARREST

The Ohio Revised Code requires that the cause of all fires be determined and the collected data be filed with the Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal via the Ohio Fire Incident Reporting System. This data helps to establish trends and find potential defective products so those issues can be resolved and prevent further fires.

All fires in the Village of New Boston are investigated by our personnel. If the company officer on the scene of a fire feels that he or she is unable to accurately determine the cause of the fire, an investigator from our Investigations Bureau is brought in to conduct an origin and cause investigation. Should the fire be determined to be a criminal act, they will continue with the investigation and file charges where appropriate.

The investigators of the New Boston Fire Department are appointed by Ordinance of the City Council, and have police power (including arrest) under the Ohio Revised Code Section 737.27, but only regarding violation of the law as they relate to fire. They also are authorized to issue subpoenas, compel testimony, and place witnesses under oath along with other various powers and authorities.

Ongoing investigations:

3733 GALLIA ST.                         STRUCTURE FIRE TOTAL LOSS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4300 GALLIA ST.                         AUTO FIRE TOTAL LOSS

 

 

Should you have information regarding these or any other fire, please call the New Boston Fire Department. Your anonymity will be protected where possible 740-456-6136

 

Arson

Arson is the crime of deliberately setting a fire. Some arsonists seek revenge. Others are psychopathic burners. Juveniles sometimes set fires for a thrill. But the most dangerous type of arsonist is the professional "torch" who burns for profit. We see more and more professionals every day.

No matter why an arsonist sets a fire the results are the same: lives lost or endangered, property destroyed and Ohioans left homeless or unemployed. Arson is a vicious crime and it's spreading. To stop it, we need your help.

What The Arsonist Does:

· Kills 1,000 people in the U.S. each year, injuring thousands more. 

· Destroys more than $2 billion in property. 

· Sets four fires each hour in Ohio 

· Costs Ohio property owners 1/3 of their fire insurance premium to pay arson.

What Insurers Are Doing:
Losses caused by suspicious fires are paid for by policyholder's premiums. Ohio law requires insurance companies to give arson investigators data from claims files. Because of this important law, insurers cooperate with police and fire officials without being exposed to libel suits from suspected arsonists.

What State & Local Officials Are Doing:
Responsibility for arson investigation may lie with fire personnel, police, or both. Local officials are being trained to spot the physical evidence of arsonist's handiwork at the fire scene. They are also learning the legal and technical requirements that strengthen the case against an arsonist.

The Ohio Fire Marshal's Office staffs its Arson Bureau with specifically trained individuals who are highly skilled in investigation of suspicious fires. Ohio's arson lab is one of the most advanced in the nation, providing analysis of physical fire evidence that can bring an arson case to court.

What the Courts Are Doing:
Under Ohio law, the sentence for arson is up to 25 years in jail and a fine of $10,000. Unfortunately, the conviction rate for arson is poor. In 1975, over 144,000 arson cases were reported in the U.S., yet only 14,000 arrests were made. Physical evidence of arson isn't always enough to convict the criminal. Often, it's the information provided by a citizen that makes prosecution possible.

What You Can Do:
Notify the New Boston Fire Department immediately if you suspect that arson was (or will be) committed. Not only will this information ultimately protect the lives and property of your family and neighbors, it may also earn you a reward. (See the portion of this page concerning Ohio's "Arson Information Reward Program.")

If your home, or other property, must be left vacant for an extended period of time, notify the local police, your insurance carrier and nearby residents. Vacant buildings are often prime targets for arson. Protect your property from fire. Keep your basement, closets and attic cleared of old rags, papers, mattresses and other combustibles. Store paint, varnish and similar products in tightly closed containers. Allow only qualified electricians to install or extend your wiring. Be sure there are enough electrical outlets in every room. Avoid the use of multiple attachment plugs and long extension cords.

Turn in a "Torch"
Arson hurts all of us. But now there's a way to fight back, and at the same time become eligible for reward money. The Ohio Blue Ribbon Arson Committee of the Ohio FAIR Plan- composed of firemen, policemen, and insurance officials - is offering rewards for information leading to the identification of persons) responsible for an act of arson.

Red, white, and blue posters will be posted by local officials at the sites of suspicious fires. If you have any reason to suspect that arson was the cause of one of these fires, call the New Boston Fire Department Arson Bureau. They may be reached at 740-456-6136.Or, if you suspect a particular building may be "torched" in the future, don't hesitate to call your local authorities.

Awards from the fund will be made annually by the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee. Nominations for rewards are made by local officials. The Fund will be replenished each year through donations by insurers.

Juvenile Fire setter
Nearly 50% of all deliberately set fires are started by juvenile offenders. In order to effectively reduce the amount of arson related fires, positive steps must be taken to identify juvenile fire setter behavior.

The New Boston Fire Department is organizing and structuring a program of risk assessment aimed at identifying the potential juvenile fire setter. The program will bring together professionals and resources capable of recognizing typical signs of fire setting behavior. It is designed to educate parents and families as well as heighten community awareness and will stand up ready to intervene with medical counseling if necessary to help solve the problem of juvenile fire setting. 

It is hoped that through identification, understanding, awareness and early intervention the problem of juvenile fire setting can be drastically reduced. Today we understand that family turmoil and emotional dysfunction can lead to fire setting behavior. The bottom line is that juvenile fire setters cost our community thousands of dollars represented in loss of life and property. 

It is the goal of the New Boston Fire Department to better serve our community by providing public awareness, education and intervention to combat this community problem.

Commerce News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8/23/2006

Contact: Shane Cartmill @ 614-752-7179

or Denise Lee @ 614-644-7115

 

Investigators Seek Assistance in Scioto County Fires

 

 

(Reynoldsburg, Ohio) – Investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigation Bureau today issued a request for the public’s help in finding those responsible for three fires in Scioto County.

 

Two of the arson fires were reported in the early morning hours of July 30. Investigators say both of the homes, one at 1804 State Route 139 in the Eden Park area and the other at 3735 Gallia Street in New Boston, were unoccupied at the time of the fires.

 

The third house fire, also ruled arson, occurred last Wednesday, August 16, at 1347 12th Street in West Portsmouth.

 

The State Fire Marshal’s office has posted a Blue Ribbon Arson reward sign on all three properties. The Blue Ribbon Arson Committee is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification of those responsible for these fires.  Anyone with information on the Eden Park, New Boston or West Portsmouth fires is asked to call the State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigation Bureau at 1-800-589-2728.