California Burning: Photographs from the Los Angeles Examiner

The Cost of Arson: It’s Always More Than A Box of Matches

Humans are to blame for many wildfires in Southern California, but not in the way that you may think. According to a statement issued by the California Department of Forestry and Fire in 2003, “Over half of the fires in Southern California are of suspicious origin or arson.”[1] As odd as this may seem, arson-induced wildfires have been around since the early 1930s. The Griffith Park Fire of 1933, which was responsible for the death of 29 Conservation Corps workers, was rumored to have been caused by a communist firebug who had “a fancied grievance against society.”[2] And nearly twenty years later in 1952, arsonists struck again at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, this time, destroying six million dollars’ worth of sets and equipment and burning the nearby Hollywood Hills.[3]

More recently, the Esperanza Fire of 2006 is one of the most infamous cases of an arson-induced wildfire. In the early morning of October 26, 2006, smoke became visible in Cabazon, a city 100 miles west of Los Angeles. Within hours, firefighters and engines from the U.S. Forest Service arrived and evacuated the residents in the nearby communities. The blaze had already burned 500 acres of land and was expected to grow at least 50 times that. By 6 A.M., the fire had jumped the highway and was on its way to a mountain community. Worried about fire damage, a small group of firefighters rushed toward the properties. However, because of the high wind speeds and intense heat, three firefighters perished in the blaze and several were heavily injured.[4] In total, 5 firefighters died, and Raymond Lee Oyler was to blame. Oyler, who had fashioned an incendiary device with matchsticks and a cigarette was the cause of the fire. Authorities never revealed what led them to Oyler, but prosecutors said that they found a link that tied his incendiary devices “to a string of fires set in the San Gorgonio Pass from early June through October.”[5]

Ultimately, Oyler was convicted and found guilty of murder along with 19 counts of arson and 16 counts of possession of materials to commit arson. However, it wasn’t until 2009 that he was sentenced to death. In Oyler’s death penalty hearing, the judge ruled that he fully intended to wreak havoc knowing that young men and women were risking their lives to protect people and their property.[6] Although Oyler’s sentencing may seem harsh, California law states that any convicted act of arson is punishable by up to nine years in state prison. As for the death penalty charge, California allows capital punishment hearings for first-degree murder charges with “special circumstances.”

With the rise of arson arrests every year, California hopes to reduce the number of wildfires by cracking down on criminals.[7] But what is the root cause of arson, and why does it continue to persist? Psychologists have found that arsonists often grapple with compulsive disorders that actively make them seek destructive behavior. However, as dangerous as they may seem, arsonists differ from typical violent offenders as they struggle with social isolation, mental illness, and suicidal thoughts. Although a psychological cause for arson has yet to be found, researchers are continuing to explore its behavioral aspects.[8]

From communist burnings in the 1930s to firebugs in 2006, arson-induced wildfires continue to plague Southern California. The solution? Stay vigilant.
 
[1] "Investigators Seek those Responsible for Blazes: LOS ANGELES -- Even as Crews Battled Southern California's Ferocious and Fatal Wildfires, Investigators were Trying to Determine Who Set them. "Over Half of the Fires in Southern California are of Suspicious Origin Or Definitely Arson," Said James Wrig." Ventura County Star, Oct 10, 2003. ProQuest, http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/investigators-seek-those-responsible-blazes/docview/2602396670/se-2.

[2] Harrison, Scott. “California Retrospective: Remembering the 1933 Griffith Park Fire Disaster.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2015, https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-retrospective-20150511-story.html.

[3] “Arson Suspected in Screen Studio Fire,” The Austin Statesman, (July 10, 1952), A5

[4] McIntyre, Doug. “10 Years Later: How the Esperanza Fire Became a Raging Inferno That Killed 5 Firefighters.” San Bernardino Sun, San
Bernardino Sun, 23 Oct. 2016, https://www.sbsun.com/2016/10/23/10-years-later-how-the-esperanza-fire-became-a-raging-inferno-that-killed-5-firefighters/.

[5] Reston, Maeve, et al. “Murder Charged in Fire.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2006, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-03-me-fire3-story.html.

[6] Kelly, David. “Esperanza Arsonist Raymond Lee Oyler Sentenced to Death.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2009, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-06-me-oyler6-story.html.

[7] Mitri, Lysée. “CAL FIRE: Arson Arrests Increased in the Last Two Years.” KCRA, KCRA, 27 Sept. 2021, https://www.kcra.com/article/cal-fire-arson-arrests-increased-last-two-years/37745973.

[8] Hughes, Timothy. “Inside the Minds of Arsonists.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sept. 2002, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-25-me-arson25-story.html.

This page has paths: