California Chronicle
October 27, 2007
OC Santiago Reward Almost Doubled to Catch Arsonist
Kobina Wright
Of the 17 fires since Saturday, ten of them are still burning out of control, including Orange County’s Santiago fire that has been determined to be caused by arson. Yesterday, the Orange County California Fire Authority reported that there was a $150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction to the party or parties responsible. Today, however, the organization reports a reward that almost doubles that of yesterdays at $250,000.
The Santiago fire is still only at 30% containment and has burned approximately 27,000 acres. Fourteen homes have been destroyed along with damage to eight others. The number of firefighters battling the blaze has more than doubled since Sunday from 600 to 1,614.
The cause of OC’s Santiago fire seems to be a common one. This year, California has had about 8,000 fires, with over 6,000 of them caused by arsonists. But who are these people who would cause so much chaos and destruction? Many times you can catch them watching nearby marveling at their own handiwork as majority of these criminals (except for in the case of revenge) remain at the scene of the crime.
According to statistics from North Carolina Wesleyan College, over half of arson incidences are caused by individuals under the age of 18 (51%). When arsonists are adults, they are usually in their late 20’s but not over 35 years of age unless the arson is created because of revenge or profit motive.
Ninety percent of arsonists are male and when they are female it is usually with fires created out of revenge. Seventy–five percent are White, 20% are Black, and of first time offenses, the third largest group is Native American. These individuals come from dysfunctional or abusive families and have no issue with alcohol or drugs. They normally experience social problems when dealing with the opposite sex and have previous criminal records.
Statistics show that 40% or arson fires are started out of revenge, 30% for excitement, 7% for vandalism; 5% for profit and 17% for crime concealment.
Taking a look at those in custody
On Tuesday, 48-year-old John Alfred Rund was arrested for starting a small fire on a roadside near Victorville.
Also on Tuesday night, Gorgonio Nava and a juvenile were arrested for starting a fire in Vista in San Diego County after an anonymous tipster informed police. The sheriff’s department did not give their ages.
On Wednesday, 41-year-old Catalino Pineda was arrested on suspicion of arson after witnesses reportedly saw him lighting a fire in the West Hills area of San Fernando Valley (northwest of Los Angeles).
On Thursday, 47-year-old Anthony Riperti was arrested for starting a fire, though the county office did not say where.
The fires that these individuals were accused of starting were all small and were quickly controlled, but investigations are ongoing to determine if these individuals had anything to do with some of the others that have burned and still burn. Perhaps these are just copycat arsonists taking advantage of an already bad situation, who don’t fit the normal profile. Maybe the profile is changing.
At any rate, if you have any information about those responsible for these fires please contact the authorities. For the Santiago fire in Orange County, you can contact the Orange County California Fire Authority at (800) 540-8282.
Kobina Wright
Wright is a second generation Southern California native and attended the University of Georgia for two years before transferring to California State University, Fullerton, where she earned her BA in journalism, minoring in Afro-Ethnic Studies.
Wright has written for publications such as LACMA Magazine, The Daily Titan, and CYH Magazine. In 2004 she wrote her third volume of poetry titled, "Say It! Say Gen-o-cide!!" − dedicated to the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. In 2003 Wright created the Hodaoa-Anibo language and in 2004 published the first edition Hodaoa-Anibo Dictionary.