Still a Riddle 1 Year Later: Who Set the Library Fires?

Not the least of the riddles left unsolved a full year after the fire that devastated the Central Library is one of immense interest to arson investigators and the library’s staff: Who did it?

The arson squad declines to comment, and only the barest details are known of the origin of either the first or second, smaller fire.

Fire Chief Donald O. Manning said the first blaze was set in the fifth of seven tiers in the library’s northeast corner, in an area off limits to the public. The second fire was set under a U-shaped desk on the building’s second floor.

That both erupted among art and music materials is believed to be a coincidence. “A different arsonist set each,” Manning said recently. Both were kindled with library materials; no evidence was found of kerosene or other incendiaries.

The second fire occurred when the library was under increased security, with monitored entrances and exits. So Manning said investigators are “confident” that no unauthorized person could have been inside.

One Abortive Arrest

Lie detector tests of staff and security guards after that fire “have helped us to narrow down the people we’re concentrating on,” he said. No arrests have been made.

The first fire led to one abortive arrest. In February, a part-time actor was arrested, then freed when no charges were filed. Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen Kay said the action was an investigative ploy that fire officials hoped would result in a confession.

The fires created a bond, forged in flames, between library workers and firefighters. Librarians were stunned that firefighters managed to save 80% of the collection from one of the most dangerous blazes in city history. And the firemen admired the dedication of staffers who waded in to salvage books before the embers cooled.

The Fire Department sent the library staff a three-dimensional plaque--its centerpiece a fire helmet. The library staff contributed nearly $5,000 to the Fire Department’s widows and orphans fund.

And the day the restored Central Library opens its doors, a commemorative plaque will hang on the wall of its first-floor rotunda. It will list the names of all 350 firefighters who risked their lives to save the books.