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By MIKE BRASSFIELD
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 18, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Fifteen firefighters knocked on doors in a downtown neighborhood Wednesday to spread the word:
An arsonist is on the loose.
Over the past 10 weeks, someone has set at least 13 fires in downtown St. Petersburg and along the Central Avenue corridor.
Many were small, late-night fires that did little damage to empty buildings, but authorities worry that the danger may be escalating. Recently, the arsonist has set fire to inhabited homes.
"It's not just nuisance properties or trash anymore; it's occupied structures," said St. Petersburg fire Lt. Chris Bengivengo. "It just turns up the heat."
Investigators have no leads in the case. They have posted a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arsonist.
"Arson crimes are very clandestine in nature, and a lot of times we need the help of the public to seal the case," Bengivengo said.
This arsonist typically piles up debris next to a building, then sets it afire.
On Wednesday afternoon, firefighters went door-to-door in the area where most of the fires have been set: two square blocks bounded by Fifth and Seventh streets, and Second and Third avenues S. The neighborhood is mostly old, wooden apartment houses built close together andmixed with a few businesses and vacant lots.
Firefighters installed smoke alarms and asked neighborhood residents to be vigilant and to clear flammable debris out of their yards and alleys. Trash piles or stacks of wooden pallets could be seen here and there.
"Get rid of the debris, take away the temptation," Bengivengo said. "If homeowners and business owners do a little bit on their own, they could put themselves in a position where they won't be targeted."
The first wave of arson fires started Nov. 5 and ended Nov. 26. They resumed recently, with two arson fires on Jan. 11 and three on Sunday evening.
St. Petersburg police Detective Bill Schorn has identified 13 fires probably set by the same person. The city has had other arson fires recently, but Schorn isn't sure they fit the pattern.
Eight fires were set between midnight and 4:30 a.m. Five were set between 7:15 p.m. and midnight.
No one has been hurt in any of the fires. But several fires have been extinguished quickly only because they were spotted by passing cabdrivers or patrol officers.
In one of the most recent fires, at 533 Third Avenue S, a tenant in an upstairs apartment saw the flames at 12:45 a.m. and called 911 just in time.
"Just as soon as he got the address out, the fire burned out the phone line and the phone went dead," Bengivengo said.
Last year, the city had 144 arson fires. Most were set in abandoned buildings by juveniles or transients.
Serial arsonists are often bored or angry, or they just like fire. A man who set a dozen trash fires in Tampa last year told investigators that he started the fires "to work out frustrations."
- Anyone with information is asked to call St. Petersburg police at 893-7780.
Police investigate 9 arson cases (November 28, 2000)
After a pause, arsonist returns (January 12, 2001)