The man arrested and charged with setting six fires since 2007 may have targeted some of those buildings because of his past associations with them, according to investigators.

Less than two weeks after the city endured two major fires, police charged Kerry Tibbetts, 27, of 12 Diana St., with six counts of arson. He was arraigned on a charge of arson in last fire at 645 First Ave. Tibbetts will now be arraigned for five other fires.

"Some of these are places where he had some bad, past associations," Berlin Police Chief Pete Morency said.  Investigators spent countless hours on these cases, he said, and with this week's arrest, "we have put closure to these fires."

The city, with an aging housing stock that includes about 500 multi-family dwellings, has been plagued by fires for years, including two major fires this month.

"All fires are not arson," Morency said. "There has been a lot of speculation that every fire has been arson and that is not the case."

  (Photo courtesy of the Union Leader)  The fires for which Tibbetts is charged are:

-- 645 First Ave., Jan 24, 2009 which broke out about 1 a.m. and sent two families fleeing from the duplex. The building is owned by Keith O'Day of Laconia.

-- 648 First Ave., on Nov. 22, 2008, in a vacant building across the street from the above fire.

-- 844 Third Ave., on July 23, 2008, reported about 4:30 a.m. in a vacant building.

-- 486 Goebel St., on Sept. 26, 2008.

-- 30 Main St., on April 21, 2007, reported about 3:30 p.m. in an apartment house that had been condemned. The fire spread to 22 Main St., destroying a law office and apartments.

-- 468 Champlain St., on June 12, 2007, about 3:30 a.m. The five-unit apartment building was occupied; O'Day also owned this three-story building.

Tibbetts is familiar to local police, Morency said, and does have a pending criminal trespass case. He was arrested in October 2002 and charged with setting two fires within two days, at 699 Main St., and at 703 First Ave. That blaze spread to seven other buildings, destroying Toni's Pizza and injuring one firefighter.

  (Photo courtesy of the Union Leader)  This Nov. 22, 2008, fire at 648 First Ave. in Berlin is one of six that Kerry Tibbetts is charged with setting.

Tibbetts was 21 at the time and lived in nearby Milan, NH.

Fires in Berlin have become a troubling part of life in the city. There have been periods when several major fires, such as the two this month, have struck within a short time, causing people to be both fearful and angry.

Two years ago, fire and city officials began an aggressive inspection schedule of more than 500 multi-family dwellings, with a goal of inspecting each one every four years. In that time, a number of buildings have been cited for code and life-safety violations, forcing some residents to have to leave those buildings.

"Arson is extremely difficult to investigate," state Fire Marshal William Degnan said. "It is a crime and a violent crime that is difficult to investigate. But the message is that it is not impossible to solve."

Several pets have been killed in these fires but there have been no human fatalities.  Two firefighters were injured during their work. A hose struck one firefighter, causing broken bones, and another firefighter suffered a shoulder injury.

Reference:

Union Leader

Concord Monitor