Results tagged “autoarsonist”

While we can't say for certain that this morning's most recent vehicular fire is the work of the carsonist -- the lunatic who immolated SF cars earlier this year -- they do have a lot in common. Last night, for example, "[a]uthorities responded to a car fire Tuesday morning in unincorporated Contra Costa County, close to where 3 vehicle fires were reported over the weekend and at least 10 were reported last week."

As KRON4 is telling us, a 62-year-old homeless woman named Fafa Chan, who police recognized at a bus stop after seeing her starting a fire on a surveillance video, is the prime carsonist suspect in that string of auto fires last month, and also in that string of porta-potty blazes this past winter. Both strings of fires were centered around the Russian Hill vicinity, where Fafa likes to hang, but so far police haven't put together much evidence of Fafa's guilt besides the fact that the fires stopped as soon as they had her in custody. Obviously she isn't much of a talker.

According to yesterday's Richmond Police newsletter (via RichmondSF), an arsonist was arrested yesterday.

First, it's no longer the Auto Arsonist, it's "Carsonist" (TM: Eve Batey) which is way radder sounding. Second, he or she took the night off. The person(s) responsible for at least 12 car fires since Saturday didn't strike last night. (One possible reason? A female arsonist was arrested last night at the Transbay Terminal, but police have yet to connect her to the car torches, so we cannot hand her the carsonist sash and tiara just yet.) But if you know anything about this week's rash of auto fires, please call the SFPD.

Here's a handy map that shows where the dastardly Auto Arsonist has flicked his or her Bic. Since Saturday morning, a whopping 11 automobiles have been torched. Why? No one knows yet, exactly. The incidents have happened all over San Francisco, from Ocean Beach to North Beach.

Last night, four more cars were immolated during the wee hours of the night. A little before 11:30 p.m. in the Bayview neighborhood at Newcomb Avenue and Selby Street, a car was lit ablaze. However, San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge claimed that the Bayview incident wasn't related to the alleged Auto Arsonist. But the next three fires probably are. Two vehicles were "found on fire at Francisco and Powell streets in North Beach at 2 a.m.," SFGate reported. And, at around 3:25 a.m., "a Honda was found burning at La Playa and Balboa streets near Ocean Beach." This brings the total number of singed automobiles to 11 since Saturday. The is starting to get scary.

A total of seven cars in San Francisco were set ablaze since Saturday. Early this morning, according to CBS 5/KCBS, "Arson investigators responded to the scene of two early morning car fires in San Francisco," one in the Outer Richmond and another in the Western Addition. Also, a pickup truck was torched at 29th and Geary, bringing this morning's total to three. While it's still too early to determine whether the injured autos, a minivan and Volvo station wagon, are related to the other four immolated autos that happened over the weekend, it sure does look suspicious. Cars were previously set on fire, starting on Saturday, at 3 a..m in the Financial District on the 200-block of California Street, between Battery and Front streets; Saturday night at Franklin and Fern streets; Sunday morning at Van Ness Avenue and Olive Street near the Civic Center; and Monday at around 2:30 a.m. on 12th Street near South Van Ness Avenue. No word yet if the Auto Arsonist and the Toilet Torcher, the pyro who torched porta-potties in early 2009, are the same person, but hopefully not. We don't care much for crossover arsonists. (Har.)