A string of four fires in less than a day has a 33-year-old Streator man sitting in the La Salle County Jail while investigators sort through what happened and why.
Police say Christopher Hall was arrested Friday after separate fires were reported across the city over roughly 16 hours. Hall is being held while Streator police, fire investigators and prosecutors review the case and consider what charges to pursue.
According to Starved Rock Media, Hall has already been charged with one count of aggravated arson and one count of arson. Police told reporters that surveillance video from the fire scenes helped officers develop a suspect, who was then brought in for questioning before being booked. The La Salle County State's Attorney is reviewing whether additional charges are warranted.
Arson has been popping up on local court dockets lately. Shaw Local has covered multiple arson-related arrests in the Illinois Valley over the past year, a trend that has local fire crews and police treating any suspicious blaze as a serious matter. When several fires hit in quick succession, as they did Friday, that heightened alert kicks in fast.
Four blazes in under a day
The first call Friday sent the Streator Fire Department to a residence on North Otter Creek, according to Starved Rock Media. Crews were later dispatched to a home on North Sterling for a report of smoke, then again to the rear of a building on East Hickory where smoke was also reported.
The fourth fire was called in at about 3:30 p.m. in a shed behind a church on North Vermillion. Officials say all four incidents landed within about a 16-hour window, a concentrated run of calls that had police searching for a common thread.
Surveillance footage recovered near the scenes provided that thread, officers said. The video allowed police to develop a description that led them to Hall, who was then arrested and booked into the county jail.
What the charges mean
Under Illinois law, aggravated arson is charged when a fire is set in circumstances that put people at risk. The offense is defined in the Illinois Compiled Statutes as a Class X felony, a more serious category than simple arson. Conviction can carry a lengthy prison sentence, according to the Illinois General Assembly's code (720 ILCS 5/Article 20).
Police have not released any information about a possible motive and have not said whether there were any injuries in the fires. Investigators are asking anyone who may have information, including video from the areas around the incidents, to contact the Streator Police Department.
For now, Hall is expected to remain in custody while the investigation continues and the La Salle County State's Attorney's office decides what to file in court.
