STREATOR, Ill. (WMBD) — A man was arrested after multiple structure fires in Streator Friday.
Christopher S. Hall, 33, was arrested on charges including aggravated arson, according to a joint release from the Streator Police and Fire Departments.
Just after 12:30 a.m. on June 19, police and fire crews went to a reported structure fire in the 1400 block of North Otter Creek Street.
Police arrived on the scene first and found a shed and a garage/business office on fire. Firefighters arrived shortly after and started containing the blaze.
According to the joint release, while on the way to the Otter Creek fire, a Streator Fire unit saw smoke coming from the back of a building in the 600 block of East Hickory Street. Crews found a small fire burning the siding in the rear. That fire was put out in about 15 minutes.
Shortly after the Hickory fire was put out, a passerby noticed smoke near another building in the 600 block of North Sterling Street. Fire crews arrived and found a newly started fire near the shed at the back of the building which was quickly put out.
The release said that, with the third fire and the possibility of another, Streator police asked nearby agencies for help to search the area and look for a person of interest.
A Streator Police Department investigator went to each location and collected evidence. The Illinois State Fire Marshal was also involved.
Later that day at 3:28 p.m., another fire was reported in the 200 block of North Vermillion Street. A shed behind a church was fully on fire, the joint release said. The fire was put out in about 10 minutes.
Streator police began searching the immediate area for a possible suspect. Officers were given a description based on nearby surveillance footage.
An officer later found a man matching the description and spoke with him in the 600 block of North Everett Street. The man, later identified as Hall, was detained for questioning.
After the investigation, Hall was arrested for arson charges and taken to the LaSalle County Jail. Charges are pending review by the LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s Office.
WMBD TV First reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
