Fire Captain Indicted in 5 San Joaquin Valley Fires
A federal grand jury in Fresno on Thursday indicted Glendale Fire Capt. John L. Orr on charges that he set fires at five stores in the San Joaquin Valley while attending an arson conference in Fresno during January, 1987.
On Dec. 17, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted Orr on five counts of arson and three counts of attempted arson involving fires at stores in the Los Angeles area and a store in Atascadero.
The indictment in Fresno alleges that Orr, 42, of Eagle Rock ignited fires at stores in Bakersfield, Fresno and Tulare. No serious injuries are believed to have occurred, federal officials said. If convicted, Orr faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the five counts.
Investigators believe that Orr wrote about his exploits in “Points of Origin,” his unpublished novel about a firefighter who is a serial arsonist. Orr is on leave of absence because of the indictments.
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