Pine County officials investigating 10 structure fires as arson

[Flash Gordon]

I posted this on another thread...

I just spoke with a family who were staying the weekend at their cabin on Big Pine Lake. They woke up to smoke and sirens in two directions. Neighbors were awakened at 5:00 A.M. by exploding propane tanks. The couple and their young son were so lucky that the arsonist didn't decide to torch their place. 40-60 firefighters came from as far as 60 miles away and put their lives in danger in response to this idiocy. I understand that similar episodes happened in Aitkin and Kanabec counties. Let's cooperate and catch these idiots!

[Mellers]

Couldn't agree more, Flash!!

[Bob]

Fires fought in outstate counties normally feel good if they save the foundation of a structure.

Driving 60 miles to fight a fire, they could have saved gas by letting them burn.

About the only way to catch these guys is with a motion detection camera without a flash. However everyone in the countys would have to buy a $300 camera, good luck there.

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Flash Gordon wrote:

I posted this on another thread...
I just spoke with a family who were staying the weekend at their cabin on Big Pine Lake. They woke up to smoke and sirens in two directions. Neighbors were awakened at 5:00 A.M. by exploding propane tanks. The couple and their young son were so lucky that the arsonist didn't decide to torch their place. 40-60 firefighters came from as far as 60 miles away and put their lives in danger in response to this idiocy. I understand that similar episodes happened in Aitkin and Kanabec counties. Let's cooperate and catch these idiots!

[tdub]

My cabin is one of those burned to the ground yesterday morning. The scene is crazy. Arson signs and police tape everywhere.
I wish someone had been there to catch the Arsonists in the act, but anyone who actually has a place out there knows this isn't likely. Big Pine Lake is 6 miles out of Finlayson which is 30 miles away from the county sheriff's office. Most of the cabins burned couldn't be seen from the road (which is a low traffic side road). The reason people like it is because it's remote and low traffic.
It's a crappy deal the whole way around. Hopefully there will be enough pressure on the authorities to keep pursuing the criminals.

[Bob]

Sheriff cannot protect cabins, way to much realestate.

We got a shack south of there and don't leave anything in it. For nice cabins maybe the best bet is a deterent of lots of cameras and put signs out advertising there are lots of cameras.

A friend has a cabin at Mora and they break in every year and Kanabek county won't even write a report. Sad when ya pay such high taxes, as we do anyway in Pine. don't know where the taxes are going. they must be filthy rich at Pine County.

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tdub wrote:

My cabin is one of those burned to the ground yesterday morning. The scene is crazy. Arson signs and police tape everywhere.
I wish someone had been there to catch the Arsonists in the act, but anyone who actually has a place out there knows this isn't likely. Big Pine Lake is 6 miles out of Finlayson which is 30 miles away from the county sheriff's office. Most of the cabins burned couldn't be seen from the road (which is a low traffic side road). The reason people like it is because it's remote and low traffic.
It's a crappy deal the whole way around. Hopefully there will be enough pressure on the authorities to keep pursuing the criminals.

[Disgruntled Outstater]

local wrote:

These areas are 30 miles from the county seat. Cops are going to hang around the back woods wait for stuff to happen, it would be a waste of time. The county normally does't have a deputy on duty in this area at this time of morning anyway. And Pine County Taxpayer, do you blame the MPLS Police Dept when someone gets shot in MPLS? They can't watch everyone!!!

Each of the cabins, due to property values and tax rates, likely paid MORE in property tax than most houses in Pine City. You know, that city way down on the southern reaches of the county? The problem is two fold
1) The sheriff's office and most of southern pine county refuse to accept that there is intelligent life north of Hwy 48
2) The sheriff's office is too obsessed with the Cause célèbre of drunk driving to care much about anything else.

The problem was Big Pine Lake, not Lake Pokegema, I wonder why? More law enforcement patrols perhaps?

A bar or C-Store is never robbed, coincidence?

[johnny]

so can this be a white on white crime?

[Angela]

MnRoadsOnly wrote:

This has all the Signs of the Sierra Club! KARE 11s Rick Kupchella and Congressman Jim Oberstar, will have a Story on How Cabin owners are Destroying the shore lines in Minnesota soon. To Bad Pine County did not elect that Sheriff that did fight Crime in that area, but the Voters of pine county went with the Liberal Media Reports that He did his Job Too well!Pine County now has a Liberal Sheriff that turns a blind eye on Crime and Hand Cuffs the Great Cops of Pine County! Sad Day in Minnesota!

I guess you're politically unaware enough to (1) spout such nonsense and (2) be completely clueless that Rick Kupchella is a die-hard Republican. Go hang out with him. I think you two would like each other.

[Angela]

The family that lost four cabins had a relative who would plow their lane because family and friends would often go ice fishing, but after last week's snowfall, that relative figured, "Oh, I won't plow this one last snowfall -- it'll melt next week on its own."

Since the private roads weren't plowed around that lake after the big snowfall, the fire truck couldn't even reach the cabins. The fire engine sat there, watching one cabin catch fire from the one next to it and burn to the ground, as a county snow plow worked to give the fire crew access.

That poor guy who reasonably decided to not plow this one last time.

So if the fire truck couldn't get through the 1+ foot of snow, makes me wonder whether the arsonist lives nearby, or how that person accessed the area in order to run around a lake at 4-something a.m. and set fire to so many cabins.