Agencies Put Up $15,000 Reward to Find Arsonist

Public agencies have come up with a $15,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the series of suspicious fires that have been set in Novato between Jan. 7-10.

The city of Novato and the contributed $5,000 each, and the and Novato Disposal added $2,500 each.

Novato Chief of Police Joseph Kreins and Novato Fire Chief Marc Revere sent out a joint statement through the media Tuesday afternoon. It read:

“This series of arson fires have created a significant safety concern for our community and we are worried that these events may escalate. We have been very fortunate that property damage has been minimal and there have been no injuries as a result of the arsons. We are, however, concerned that it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt and that includes our public safety personnel responding to these criminal acts..

“We really need the assistance of our community and we are asking that residents report any suspicious individuals or activity.”

The chiefs said their agencies have made the investigation their highest priority and teamed up to form a multi-agency task force to assist in the investigation. They are receiving help from the Marin County Fire Department, the Marin County Fire Investigation Team, the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, the sheriff’s Search and Rescue teams, the Marin Municipal Water District, the Novato Sanitary District, Novato Disposal and the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force.

The task force has been in contact with state and federal agencies such as Cal Fire and the state Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms for assistance.

The police is leading the criminal investigation. It asks residents to call 897-4361 during the day or 897-1122 after hours. Anonymous tips can be placed on a hotline at 1-800-848-0101.

“We believe that the individual(s) responsible for these arsons is dangerous and should not be approached by the public,” the chiefs’ statement continued. “We ask that members of the public be a ‘good witness,’  consider safety first and report unusual activity as soon as practical.”