Reward for information on pair of Indianapolis arsons

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis investigators are offering a reward for information regarding a pair of arsons that burned six homes on Monday.

It’s still too early to tell if two arsons burning six homes less than three hours apart on Monday are related, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department .

The first, on Hamilton Avenue, saw three vacant houses destroyed. The second, on North College Avenue, destroyed two vacant houses and damaged one occupied home.

No one was seriously hurt, but IFD said the fire spread so quickly on North College Avenue that a smoke explosion blew a firefighter about 10 feet out of the back door of a house.

“Arson is a violent crime, and obviously can get people injured and people can die,” said IFD Battalion Chief of Fire Investigations Vernon Garard. “So, it’s very serious, and we take it very seriously.”

According to numbers from IFD, of the 293 fire investigations in 2024 so far, 43 (or nearly 15%) were vacant structures.

“So, what I’d say, if you’re living around vacant houses, and you see individuals entering and exiting vacant houses, to please call IMPD,” Garard said.

One major lead for investigators has already gone up in smoke. IFD said a person of interest has been eliminated as a suspect. Now, there’s a reward worth up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers , and a reward worth up to $5,000 from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security for information leading to an arrest.

“There’s a lot of folks that have cameras and ring doorbells around, and a lot of times, they’ll look at them later, and give us information and provide us with that footage,” Garard said. “That’s helped us in the past.”

Investigators ask that anyone with information call Crime Stoppers 317-262-TIPS, or the Indiana Department of Homeland Security at 1-800-382-4628.

IFD said it’s working with city officials to demolish any buildings that are now safety hazards.