By Rachael Scarborough King
New Haven Register, Conn.
DERBY, Conn. — Derby and Ansonia police arrested three volunteer firefighters from Derby’s fire department Friday evening on charges related to a series of arson fires early this year.
Cameron Cirisoli and Edward Jones, both 20 and of Ansonia, and a 17-year-old volunteer firefighter face a variety of arson and criminal mischief charges following about a dozen fires in January through March, police said. The juvenile was not identified because of his age.
Fire Chief Charlie Sampson said that all three are members of Derby’s volunteer force and they have been taken off duty pending a disciplinary hearing.
The volunteer firefighters turned themselves in at both Derby and Ansonia police headquarters Friday and were released either on bail or a promise to appear in court Monday, police said.
The fires occurred in Derby and Ansonia several months ago, Derby Police Lt. Justin Stanko said. In Derby, they began with several brush, Dumpster or wooden pallet fires in January, followed by a fire in a Dumpster at the Derby little league field on Feb. 10, and finally a fire in an unoccupied house on Frank Gates Lane on March 2, according to police.
No one was injured in any of the incidents, police said.
Information on the police investigation in Ansonia was not immediately available, but the fires there appear to have occurred during the same time frame.
Stanko said police and fire officials investigating the suspicious blazes noticed a pattern of the same volunteer firefighters quickly reporting to the incidents.
“The same ones kept appearing at the fires and the time that they were responding was uncharacteristic, like they would show up almost faster than everyone else,” he said.
He added that “a motive was obtained” for the arsons while police questioned the suspects, but he did not disclose what it was. He said that the men may have become aware of the police investigation after the largest fire, in March. That fire took place at a new home that did not have any occupants at the time.
The suspects are friends as well as fellow volunteer firefighters, Stanko said.
Derby police arrested Cirisoli and Jones on one count each of third-degree arson and reckless burning, and six counts each of third-degree criminal mischief. The 17-year-old was charged with one count of third-degree criminal mischief.
Ansonia police charged Cirisoli with one count each of reckless burning and conspiracy to commit third-degree criminal mischief, and seven counts of thirddegree criminal mischief. Jones faces charges of two counts of reckless burning, nine counts of third-degree criminal mischief and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, while the teenager was arrested for third-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit thirddegree criminal mischief.
All three are due in court Monday and are under electronic montoring and a curfew until then, Stanko said.
Sampson said in a release that the fire department will continue to assess the situation and could undertake a review of training and new-member screening as well as other policies and procedures. The all-volunteer fire department has about 200 members.
This is not the first time volunteer firefighters have been implicated in local arson fires. In May, an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter from Ansonia was arrested on charges that he set a fire that destroyed a two-car garage and the car inside it. In 2005, two former Shelton volunteer firefighters were sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after nine months, for setting fire to a house in 2004. The reported motive in that case was that the two wanted to be the first on the scene of a fire.
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