BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — This year so far, Bakersfield has already had over 300 fires investigated for arson with more than half of those being deemed incendiary. Taking a look at trends, we’re not only set to see more of these fires but on track to surpass last year’s numbers.
- Video shows various vacant building and grass fires that Bakersfield Fire's Arson Unit has investigated recently.
- In total, last year BFD confirmed 387 incendiary fires and made 61 arrests. This year so far, they’ve confirmed 186 with 17 arrests.
This year so far, Bakersfield has already had over 300 fires investigated for arson with more than half of those being deemed incendiary. Taking a look at trends, we’re not only set to see more of these fires but on track to surpass last year’s numbers.
“The uptick in fires over the last couple of months has kept this unit very busy," said Bakersfield Fire Battalion Chief Bryce Patterson, who heads up the BFD's Arson Unit.
Patterson said not only is the department as a whole seeing more fires, but the arson unit — which is comprised of him and three investigators — is also being called out more.
“Each individual is investigating 20-30 fires individually each month," he said. "We're about 5% up from our previous years."
From May to July of 2023, BFD's arson unit investigated 217 fires with 127 of those determined to be intentional. This year, in May the unit investigated 91 fires, with 47 determined to be intentional. So far this month, they’ve investigated 38 fires with 12 determined intentional.
Fire Captain John Wegis is one of the investigators, alongside their arson K9 Duke.
“We used him on approximately 150 fires," Wegis said. "Of those 150, he located 40 different accelerants used."
In the last ten months since he joined the unit, Duke has been able to help the department streamline their investigation process.
“Before we got him if we thought there may have been ignitable liquid used, take a blind sample and send it off the lab, and a lot of times it would come back negative because we didn't know where to look," Wegis said. "Now that we have him we’re able to know exactly where to look, grab those samples, take that back to the lab, and get confirmation.”
In total, last year BFD confirmed 387 incendiary fires and made 61 arrests. This year so far, they’ve confirmed 186 with 17 arrests.
Patterson said their investigations can range from someone intentionally setting a property on fire to reckless burning. These instances can be anything from a domestic violence incident where one person intentionally burns the other person's property to someone lighting a campfire and not putting it out, leading to a larger grass fire that damages or threatens property.
Whether the fire is set intentionally or recklessly, the consequences are extensive. Patterson said when they catch their culprit, they tend to see these cases through to convictions, which can result in heavy jail time.
“We have had repeat offenders and those are serving double-digit sentences," he said.
When it comes to their investigations, Patterson said some of their best forms of evidence come from witnesses and surveillance video, which is why he encourages anyone near vacant structures or lots to be vigilant of any suspicious activity.
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