Anti-Sprawl Arsons Put Arizonans on Edge

Someone is burning the homes of the rich.

Where city sprawl butts up against the edge of a pristine desert preserve, nine luxury homes under construction have been torched in the last two years. Two other arson fires have hit building sites close to a preserve in nearby Scottsdale.

Until recently, authorities had not understood or connected the fires, which have caused an estimated $5 million in damages but no injuries. Then, in a series of communiques, the arsonists revealed themselves: They are a group of mountain-biking ecoterrorists.

The Coalition to Save the Preserve claimed responsibility for the fires, most of which have been set adjacent to the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, a 29,000-acre Sonoran Desert oasis plunked in the middle of one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.

At first, the group simply left spray-painted graffiti at the crime scenes. Then at least four notes were found, including this chilling message to a home builder who was targeted twice: “U Build It We Burn It--Again.”

The arsonists then dispatched letters to the state’s largest newspaper and a Phoenix television station, spelling out their motivation: Sprawl is killing us all.

“An acre an hour is obscene,” one note said, referring to a much-used figure to gauge the rate at which Arizona’s desert is being bulldozed for development. The note signed off with a taunt to authorities: “Happy hunting!”

The desert preserves and the multimillion-dollar homes popping up on their borders are just the latest venue for the long-bitter dispute between Arizona’s pro- and anti-growth camps.

The resulting fires have put homeowners on edge and home builders on alert.

Many have taken extra security measures to protect construction sites. And Phoenix police have stepped up patrols in neighborhoods surrounding the preserve.

Now, with the disclosure that the arsonists are avid mountain bikers who frequent the preserve’s trails, there have been reports of bikers being stopped and photographed by law enforcement authorities. The FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force is leading the investigation.

So far, there have been no witnesses to the early morning fires. But Bob Kahn, Phoenix’s deputy fire chief, said that a crime-stoppers hotline had produced some “helpful” leads. Authorities also have released a composite sketch of a person they are seeking as a witness.

But two weeks ago, a more-detailed portrait emerged of the suspects.

The Phoenix New Times, an alternative weekly newspaper, published an exclusive interview with a man who claimed to have taken part in setting the fires.

The man said that the Coalition to Save the Preserve consisted of four members--all mountain-biking enthusiasts who ride the extensive network of trails in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. They all abhor the proliferation of mansions going up around the environmentally sensitive area, he said. So they have set the fires to draw public attention to what they consider to be unchecked growth and destruction of open space.

The man said the group had been careful not to set fires in occupied dwellings and took care to not injure anyone or damage nearby buildings. He also said members prayed before setting each fire.

The Jan. 25 cover story rallied some Phoenix residents to sympathize with the coalition’s cause, if not with its methods. But rather than crowing over its scoop, the New Times found itself in an unexpected firestorm--facing critics who called the paper an accessory to the crime.

“I am disappointed and, in fact, disgusted that New Times would place a journalistic coup over the safety of members of the public,” read one letter published by the weekly. “I am flabbergasted that your editorial or legal staff would agree to this article being published, without first assisting investigators in locating these dangerous criminals.”

James Hibberd, the 28-year-old reporter, was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury and ordered to bring all his notes. He’s been interviewed at length by police, who hope to get a more detailed description of the suspect.

In the lush neighborhoods that surround the preserve, however, this is more than just an ethical debate.

The area is one of modest 1960s homes and newer, sprawling faux-Mediterranean villas.

The Coalition to Save the Preserve began its crime spree in 1998 by setting fire to a 10,000-square-foot house. Other targets have been equally large.

Scott Martin, whose home is across the street from the preserve, said neighbors constantly are talking about the fires, wondering who’s next.

“There’s a house being built on the next block,” he said. “Naturally, I’m curious. I want to go over and look at it. But I haven’t. I don’t want to look like I’m casing it.”

The area is on high alert, especially since the blazes in December.

A box of fliers labeled “Important--Arson Update” sat recently on a table under a picnic shelter in the preserve, providing information to hikers and asking them to be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

Nearby, a Phoenix motorcycle officer cruised the cul-de-sacs on the north side of the preserve.

“The homeowners just feel better when we’re around. If I have any extra time, I just drive around, keeping an eye out,” said the officer, who asked not to be identified. At that moment, a small plane buzzed overhead. The officer explained that plane and helicopter patrols had been ordered over the area. Park rangers on mountain bikes also have been crisscrossing the rugged preserve.

Authorities will say little else about the investigation but acknowledge that the grounds of the preserve itself are being scoured, since they afford the arsonists excellent--and stealthy--access to the neighborhood.

Construction sites are ubiquitous here, with Phoenix expanding ever northward. One 7,000-square-foot home under construction is surrounded by a sturdy chain-link fence and “no trespassing” signs.

The framing foreman, who asked not to be identified--”You never know if they are reading this,” he said--conceded security is on everyone’s mind.

“We wonder if we have a work site in the morning,” he said. “The builder is concerned. We take all our tools and equipment home at night. But, you know, I think if a guy wants to set a fire, a fence isn’t going to stop him.”

A block away, a home is going up at the site of a previous fire. It too is surrounded by a fence, and lights are posted around the perimeter. Huge, charred beams are in a pile.

Some contractors have hired private security firms to patrol construction sites overnight. That didn’t work for Lee Benson, whose home was one of the first targets. The arsonists left behind a note warning Benson not to rebuild. He did. They burned him out a second time.

“At this point, I can’t get insurance again, even if I choose to build somewhere else,” Benson told the Arizona Republic newspaper. “What is this? This is terrorism.”

Whatever the feelings are regarding their actions, however, the arsonists have managed to get people talking--and thinking--about growth and urban sprawl.

Because the group chose an unsympathetic target--builders of huge homes in a setting where many would love to live but can’t hope to afford--the fires have lacked a human face.

Even neighbors living near the preserve resent the new arrivals, for each homeowner wants to be the last to be allowed to build on the very edge of the desert.

A ballot initiative restricting growth was defeated in November. Only a last-minute infusion of money from the state’s powerful developers, critics say, killed the measure.

“It seems fairly clear that [the fires are] a symbolic set of acts against an obsessive growth policy in town--and the West in general,” said Randall Amster, a professor at Arizona State University and an expert on public- and open-space issues and resistance groups.

“I doubt the people who are doing this think they can solve the problem,” he added. But “as a political aim, it’s a good thing.”