Lehigh Acres arsonist on the loose; how to catch one

There is an arsonist in our community. Now, we are asking how to catch one.

• RELATED: Is there an arsonist on the loose in Lehigh Acres?

Lehigh Acres neighborhoods have been getting hit left and right with a dozen intentional fires since January.

The only lead the fire department has is a truck that was seen driving away from the area of a recent fire on Tuesday morning.

Investigators are wondering what is going through the mind of the person starting these fires.

“They’re doing vacant lands right now, so they’re testing the waters right now,” said Dale Reisen, operating manager for Reisen Fire Consultants in Lee County. “They might not want to hurt anybody or hurt somebody’s property, so they are doing small areas, maybe wildland or a vacant lot.”

Reisen said there are two types of arsonists.

“This may be a teenager or might be an adult; if it’s an adult arsonist, I guarantee that they have been a juvenile fire setter, and they have just never been caught,” Reisen said.

But how can someone get caught with little to no evidence?

“I will say that with every fire that is set, evidence is always left,” Reisen said. “They may not know what type of evidence, but if you have a really good seasoned investigator, they are going to be able to find that evidence.”

On Tuesday, a porta potty alongside a vacant lot was set on fire. The fire department said this was the first structure that had been targeted since the fires started.

“Anything with a roof over it is a structure,” Reisen said. “If you set that on fire, that is what we call second-degree arson, and the penalties are much greater than just setting a wildland fire.”

Anyone with information about these fires is asked to call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8744. You can also submit tips online or on the P3 Tips mobile app. You could be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.