ARSONISTS Ep. 1 | John Orr: “Point of Origin”

Infamous America

Black Barrel Media

True Crime, Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.5 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

By the mid-1980s, John Orr is a respected arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Los Angeles. He might not be the easiest person to like, but he has a good reputation in Los Angeles County. At the same time, a serial arsonist is setting fires across the metro area. On October 10, 1984, the worst case scenario finally happens: a fire at Ole’s Home Center in South Pasadena turns deadly. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	October 10th, 1984 was a typical evening in South Pasadena, a neighborhood in the greater
0:19.7	Los Angeles area. It was a Wednesday night,
0:22.4	and the entertainment on television was a little thin. It was the era of shows like Kate and Alley,
0:28.6	Cagney and Lacey, the Jeffersons, the A-Team, the Dukes of Hazard, Dynasty, Dallas, Highway to Heaven,
0:36.2	Magnum P.I., The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers,
0:40.3	Nightcourt, and Hill Street Blues. On NBC that night, legendary baseball TV announcer
0:47.8	Vin Scully was calling the second game of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the San
0:53.7	Diego Padres.
0:55.5	19-year-old Jim Obdom had wondered why it was so quiet in Oli's Home Center that evening,
1:01.2	and then he remembered the World Series game. People who may have normally stopped by the
1:06.2	store after work had probably postponed the errand so they could watch the game.
1:11.9	Oles was a popular chain of home improvement stores that had more than 30 locations in
1:16.9	Southern California in the 1980s. Oli's sold hardware supplies, electrical supplies, building materials,
1:24.9	paint, decorative items, basically everything needed to design or repair a house.
1:31.0	That Wednesday in October 1984, Jim Obdom's quiet evening was about to come to an end,
1:37.6	and it would be replaced by chaos and terror.
1:43.5	Around 8 p.m., customers and employees started noticing smoke in Oli's home center.
1:50.2	For most, like Jim Obdom, they saw the grayish-white smoke that rapidly filled the huge store.
1:57.0	For those who were near the aisle where patio accessories were stored, they saw the flames.
2:02.4	A small fire had sparked in that aisle, and the flames erased through the highly flammable
2:07.1	items with ferocious speed.
2:10.6	Obdm was near the back of the store when the smoke became apparent.
	...

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