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John Leonard Orr [P13502], currently residing at California State Prison, Centinela, is possibly the worst American serial arsonist.of the Twentieth Century. His nickname comes from one of his methods of ignition. It has been claimed that Orr set nearly 2,000 fires between 1984 and 1991 that caused millions of dollars in damages and cost four people their lives, but there are also a number of remarkable facets to his case.
At the time Orr was criminally active he was employed by the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California as fire captain and fire investigator.
While active he penned a novel entitled Points of Origin (the manuscript of which was discovered during a search of his home). This novel is the story of a firefighter who doubled as a serial arsonist.
The book has since been published:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0741406365/RJZFZYIFAOSQE/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_5?ie=UTF8&cursor=5
Detailed descriptions of fires started in the book would--predictably--turn out to match those Orr himself had committed.
In his capacity as a fire investigator he would attend professional conferences in the region. He would commit acts of arson on journeys to and from these meetings. This activity would later be instrumental in his capture.
He would set small fires often in the grassy hills, in order to draw firefighters away, leaving fires he had set in more congested areas unattended. It has been estimated that following his arrest the number of brush fires in the area dropped by 90%. He favoured public buildings that were open and occupied--perhaps such targets were more thrilling as a challenge.
The fire he started in South Pasadena on 10 October 1984 in a hardware store (within a shopping plaza) killed four people, including a 17-year-old employee and a two-year-old baby. A combined team of fire investigators judged the cause to have been an electrical fault; Orr himself, in his professional capacity, demured, insisting that the cause had certainly been arson.
Orr maintains his innocence despite having been convicted with fingerprint evidence and having had his vehicle tracked to the site of multiple suspicious fires.
Fuller details, especially including his identification, apprehension and prosecution here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leonard_Orr
At the time Orr was criminally active he was employed by the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California as fire captain and fire investigator.
While active he penned a novel entitled Points of Origin (the manuscript of which was discovered during a search of his home). This novel is the story of a firefighter who doubled as a serial arsonist.
The book has since been published:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0741406365/RJZFZYIFAOSQE/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_5?ie=UTF8&cursor=5
Detailed descriptions of fires started in the book would--predictably--turn out to match those Orr himself had committed.
In his capacity as a fire investigator he would attend professional conferences in the region. He would commit acts of arson on journeys to and from these meetings. This activity would later be instrumental in his capture.
He would set small fires often in the grassy hills, in order to draw firefighters away, leaving fires he had set in more congested areas unattended. It has been estimated that following his arrest the number of brush fires in the area dropped by 90%. He favoured public buildings that were open and occupied--perhaps such targets were more thrilling as a challenge.
The fire he started in South Pasadena on 10 October 1984 in a hardware store (within a shopping plaza) killed four people, including a 17-year-old employee and a two-year-old baby. A combined team of fire investigators judged the cause to have been an electrical fault; Orr himself, in his professional capacity, demured, insisting that the cause had certainly been arson.
Orr maintains his innocence despite having been convicted with fingerprint evidence and having had his vehicle tracked to the site of multiple suspicious fires.
Fuller details, especially including his identification, apprehension and prosecution here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leonard_Orr
