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OREM — Catching a serial arsonist is now a top priority for Orem officials, who announced Thursday they are offering a $12,500 reward for information leading to an arrest.
"It would be a huge financial impact to us if this were to continue to happen. We want to stop this as soon as possible," said Orem Mayor Richard Brunst.
Last week, a massive fire burned an apartment complex under construction near 400 S. State. That fire was ignited shortly after a smaller fire burned a Provo police car nearby.
On Dec. 19, a small fire was started at a gas station pump just minutes before a much larger fire was reported in the area of 875 N. State. Firefighters arrived to find an apartment complex under construction in flames.
Damage from both incidents totaled more than $2 million.
In both cases, a small "distraction" fire was set before a much larger fire at a vacant building under construction was set. Because of that, investigators believe the same person or group of people are responsible for each incident.
"I believe it is the work of one or one group of individuals and they're trying to make a statement. What exactly that statement is, I'm not sure," Brunst said. "We want to arrest (them) and stop this behavior as quickly as possible."
It would be a huge financial impact to us if this were to continue to happen. We want to stop this as soon as possible.
–Orem Mayor Richard Brunst
The city approved the reward offer in an effort to catch the people responsible and make a statement about how seriously the city is taking the crimes.
The Orem City Council approved the use of $5,000 from reserve funds for the reward, and $7,500 was donated by local contractors and Realtors who are also anxious to catch the person responsible.
"We're willing to put the money out there to bring in leads to solve this problem," Brunst said.
Orem is currently experiencing enormous growth, the mayor noted, including about 10 restaurants, 10 apartment complexes, 10 stores and massive projects at University Place and Midtown 360. Since the last fire, many construction sites have beefed up their round-the-clock security and Orem police and fire have increased their patrols.
In Provo, a string of at least 10 arson-related fires in April destroyed several abandoned homes and vehicles. Officials do not believe those incidents are connected to the Orem fires, however.
Anyone with information on the arsonist can call 801-229-7321.
