In June 2003, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region-the states of Maryland and Virginia, and Washington, D.C.-was about to experience terror again. These communities dealt with the events of September 11, 2001; the D.C. sniper in October 2002; and now they would have to deal with a serial arsonist. This arson-related reign of terror lasted almost two years and affected the lives of everyone in the region.
The possibility that an arsonist might be operating in the region came to light through a simple promotional exam. The commander in the Prince George’s County (MD) Fire Investigation Unit was comparing notes with a commander in the Washington (D.C.) Fire Investigation Unit during a promotional exam. They noticed that they had been experiencing a series of similar-type fires. This is not that unusual for these two departments, since they border each other and respond to thousands of working fires each year. Both deal with arson on a large scale.
However, the difference in this case was that these fires seemed to be almost, if not exactly, the same:
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