Fires linked to serial arsonist.

Byline: REBECCA NOLAN The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - Police and fire investigators are looking for a serial arsonist who has set at least seven fires in the past 10 months.

The arsonist has left what investigators describe as a "calling card" or "signature" at some of the fires, leading officials to believe they are linked, Fire Chief Dennis Murphy said Wednesday.

Springfield police Chief Jerry Smith announced the formation Wednesday of an arson task force to focus specifically on the fires and determine who is behind them.

The city also has established a hot line for people who want to report information about the fires.

"We have one or more determined people working together and we've got to get it stopped," Murphy said of the arsons.

So far, no one has been injured and property damage has been minor, ranging from scorched siding to a partially gutted bedroom, Deputy Fire Marshal Brian Parmelee said.

The seven fires attributed to the serial arsonist are part of an "unprecedented" wave of intentionally set blazes in Springfield this year, Murphy said.

The city has had 35 arson fires since January, more than three times the number reported in a typical year, Murphy said. And while the city arrests arsonists at twice the national rate, it still only solves 34 percent of arson crimes.

So far this year, police have arrested 28 juveniles and three adults for arson, Parmelee said. Sometimes more than one person is responsible for each fire, he said.

Investigators started talking about a serial arsonist after a pair of house fires on Sunday and Monday shared striking similarities, Battalion Chief Mark Walker said. A third fire on Tuesday resembled the arsonist's earlier work but had not been definitively linked to the others.

The arsonist seems to favor the area south of Olympic Street between 30th and 50th streets.

He strikes early in the morning and targets houses or commercial buildings that appear vacant, Parmelee said. Investigators believe that the arsonist watches the buildings before returning to set the fire.

Most of the fires are set outside the buildings, although the arsonist has broken into homes and started blazes from within, Parmelee said. He seems to use fuel found on the property, such as wood, paper, furniture and trash. Investigators believe that the arsonist used an accelerant at some of the fires.

He also has left some kind of printed material at a few of the fires as a way of marking them as his own, Murphy said. The chief would not reveal exactly what the material is.

"He definitely wants us to know it's him," Murphy said.

The task force, made up of two fire investigators and a police detective, will canvass neighborhoods in search of witnesses and try to develop a profile of the arsonist. They have a number of leads, Parmelee said.

Investigators don't have a description of the arsonist, though witnesses have seen someone run away from fire scenes, he said.

No one saw who set the fire at 1332 34th St. early Tuesday. A neighbor opening her curtains at sunrise noticed the flames and called firefighters. Her husband turned a hose on the fire until firefighters arrived.

The fire was set at the side of the house in a vent to the underground crawl space. It burned slowly, eventually burning a portion of the siding and blackening the interior wall.

The owners, Gary and Mary Obie, were wintering in Arizona, but their son, Brian of Eugene, was overseeing the cleanup and repairs on Wednesday.

"It's really fortunate the lady next door opened her curtains and saw the fire," Obie said, standing inside the living room, which reeked of stale smoke and burned wood. "We didn't really lose any personal property."

Officials warned Wednesday that should one of these fires result in injury or death, the arsonist will face assault or murder charges.

TRAIL OF ARSON

Anyone with information about the Springfield serial arsonist is asked to call a new 24-hour local arson hot line at 736-1030.

The arsonist is suspected of setting the following fires: a March 31 house fire at 3876 E St.; a May 11 house fire at 325 S. 42nd Place; a June 27 commercial fire at 4329 Main St.; an Aug. 14 house fire at 301 Smith Loop; an Oct. 14 commercial fire at 4015 Main St.; an Oct. 20 house fire at 225 41st St.; an Oct. 21 house fire at 1332 34th St.