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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20041206-1453-homesdestroyed.html
Arson fires destroy homes under construction near Washington, D.C.
Eco-terrorism suspected
By Stephen Manning
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:53 p.m. December 6, 2004
INDIAN HEAD, Md. - More than a dozen expensive homes under construction were
burned down early Monday in a suburban Washington housing development that
had been criticized by environmentalists because it is next to a nature
preserve, officials said.
An FBI agent said the fires may have been set by environmental extremists.
A dozen homes were destroyed and 29 others damaged near the state's
Mattawoman Natural Environment Area. No injuries were reported. The damage
was estimated at at least $10 million.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Faron Taylor, a deputy state fire marshal, said investigators believe fires
were set in at least four of the homes, which were priced at $400,000 to
$500,000. Taylor refused to say what led investigators to conclude it was
arson.
"At this point, our knowledge of the methodology is shared by us and the
perpetrator, and we don't want to share that with anyone else," Taylor said.
A Sierra Club report had called the development "quintessential sprawl"
because it is far from existing infrastructure and "threatens a fragile
wetland and important historical sites near the Chesapeake Bay."
After the fires, the Sierra Club issued a statement saying it "strongly
condemns all acts of violence in the name of the environment."
FBI spokesman Barry Maddox said FBI agents were on the scene and would
investigate whether the fires were an act of ecoterrorism.
"Anything and everything will be considered, but we're not labeling this
anything other than suspicious fires," Maddox said.
The blazes were reported before 5 a.m., drawing firefighters from four
counties to the subdivision about 25 miles south of the nation's capital.
The houses, on lots of about a quarter-acre each, were spread across a
10-acre area, Taylor said.
"This was a very, very affluent neighborhood under construction," Taylor
said.
Taylor said the fire would be investigated by agents from the Maryland fire
marshal's office and the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
which is routinely brought in to help investigate large fires.
Arson fires destroy homes under construction near Washington, D.C.
Eco-terrorism suspected
By Stephen Manning
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:53 p.m. December 6, 2004
INDIAN HEAD, Md. - More than a dozen expensive homes under construction were
burned down early Monday in a suburban Washington housing development that
had been criticized by environmentalists because it is next to a nature
preserve, officials said.
An FBI agent said the fires may have been set by environmental extremists.
A dozen homes were destroyed and 29 others damaged near the state's
Mattawoman Natural Environment Area. No injuries were reported. The damage
was estimated at at least $10 million.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Faron Taylor, a deputy state fire marshal, said investigators believe fires
were set in at least four of the homes, which were priced at $400,000 to
$500,000. Taylor refused to say what led investigators to conclude it was
arson.
"At this point, our knowledge of the methodology is shared by us and the
perpetrator, and we don't want to share that with anyone else," Taylor said.
A Sierra Club report had called the development "quintessential sprawl"
because it is far from existing infrastructure and "threatens a fragile
wetland and important historical sites near the Chesapeake Bay."
After the fires, the Sierra Club issued a statement saying it "strongly
condemns all acts of violence in the name of the environment."
FBI spokesman Barry Maddox said FBI agents were on the scene and would
investigate whether the fires were an act of ecoterrorism.
"Anything and everything will be considered, but we're not labeling this
anything other than suspicious fires," Maddox said.
The blazes were reported before 5 a.m., drawing firefighters from four
counties to the subdivision about 25 miles south of the nation's capital.
The houses, on lots of about a quarter-acre each, were spread across a
10-acre area, Taylor said.
"This was a very, very affluent neighborhood under construction," Taylor
said.
Taylor said the fire would be investigated by agents from the Maryland fire
marshal's office and the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
which is routinely brought in to help investigate large fires.