Episode 166: On Fire

<p>On November 12th, 2012, the Accomack County volunteer fire departments got a call. An abandoned house had suddenly gone up in flames. And then, just hours later, a second fire was reported. Then a third. Over the next few months, there would be a lot more fires—nearly 90 in all. It was all anyone could talk about in Accomack. Someone was burning down the entire county.</p> <p>Monica Hesse's book is <em><a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/American-Fire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land</a></em>.</p> <p>It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at <a href="https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn</a>.</p> <p>For a transcript of this episode, send an email to <a href="mailto:transcripts@thisiscriminal.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">transcripts@thisiscriminal.com</a> with the episode name and number. Say hello on <a href="https://twitter.com/CriminalShow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsCriminal/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/criminal_podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, <a href="http://thisiscriminal.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=25658e45f07309154fbf5f23f&amp;id=a7d08cb6bd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Accomplice.</a> Artwork by <a href="http://www.yssrs.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Julienne Alexander</a>.</p> <p>Check out our <a href="https://store.dftba.com/collections/criminal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">online shop</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://thisiscriminal.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Criminal</a> is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Please review us on Apple Podcasts! It’s an important way to help new listeners discover the show: <a href="http://thisiscriminal.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2565