A slow buildup of suspicious fires had been happening in the Los Angeles area for about 10 years,

from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s.

The fires were centered around the small communities of Glendale and Pasadena, both of which

sit below the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of L.A. Some of the fires were in the dry,

brushy hills that led into the mountains. Others were in big retail stores,

like supermarkets or home improvement centers. Up until 1984, firefighters and the general

public had been lucky, all things considered. The fires had done limited damage before they were

put out by sprinkler systems or alert employees or fast-acting fire

crews. But the luck ran out on October 10, 1984. That night, at about 8 p.m., a fire started at

Oli's Home Center, a home improvement store in South Pasadena. The fire tore through the building

and destroyed it with shocking speed.

Four people died, two employees, and a grandmother who was with her two-year-old grandson.

At the same time, a fire was burning in a supermarket a few blocks away. And a couple hours

earlier, there was another fire at a different supermarket.

At both supermarkets, the fires started in the potato chip aisle.

Investigators declared those fires arson.

But the destruction at Oli's home center had been so thorough that it allowed the lead investigator on the case,

a longtime deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's

Department, to classify the fire as undetermined. The deputy sheriff believed the fire was likely

an accident caused by faulty electrical wiring. Others weren't so sure, and one man, John Orr, knew

it wasn't an accident. John Orr, knew it wasn't an accident.

John Orr was the arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department, the department that served the community that was right next to Pasadena. He was a respected investigator,

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