Crime To Burn

In part 2 of this series dedicated to the memory of Reno Firefighter Mike Lackore, we get into the investigation and criminal trial following the Mizpah Hotel Fire in Reno, NV. Mike was on one of the first responding units to the Mizpah Hotel fire that occurred on Halloween night in 2006 in Reno, NV. This multi-fatality fire had a profound mental impact on the firefighters that reported to the scene and Mike Lackore’s good friend Battalion Chief Roger Mooney shared with me that he and Mike were forever changed by the horrific events of that night. Mike passed away in 2011 but this fire always stayed with him and so we dedicate this episode to Mike Lackore’s memory. Join us now as we dive into the Mizpah Hotel Fire including the first hand perspective of Chief Roger Mooney. This is Crime to Burn. 

https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2006/nov/01/reno-arson-suspect-served-prison-time-for-murder/

https://ijret.org/volumes/2014v03/i23/IJRET20140323014.pdf

https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/reno-hotel-fire-suspect-to-stand-trial-on-12-counts-murder-arson/

http://www.iklimnet.com/hotelfires/hotel_fire_news_29.html

https://www.foxnews.com/story/woman-accused-of-setting-reno-hotel-fire-that-killed-6-served-time-in-prison-for-murder

https://www.essaytown.com/subjects/paper/mizpah-hotel-fire-reno-nevada/617038

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16711174

https://www.deseret.com/2006/11/2/19982906/suspect-in-reno-hotel-fire-once-convicted-of-murder

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2007/03/17/woman-to-serve-12-life-terms-for-setting-reno-fire/

http://justicedenied.org/issue/issue_67/kirstin_lobato_attacked_jd67.pdf

https://apnews.com/article/0c51752acbb1fa24e0f928ba6f2a2819

https://www.usdeadlyevents.com/2006-oct-31-arson-fire-mizpah-hotel-on-north-lake-street-reno-nv-12/

This week’s episode is dedicated to the memory of Reno Firefighter Mike Lackore. Mike was on one of the first responding units to the Mizpah Hotel fire that occurred on Halloween night in 2006 in Reno, NV. This multi-fatality fire had a profound mental impact on the firefighters that reported to the scene and Mike Lackore’s good friend Battalion Chief Roger Mooney shared with me that he and Mike were forever changed by the horrific events of that night. Mike passed away in 2011 but this fire always stayed with him and so we dedicate this episode to Mike Lackore’s memory. Join us now as we dive into the Mizpah Hotel Fire including the first hand perspective of Chief Roger Mooney. This is Crime to Burn. 

Sources will be provided with Part 2 of this episode. 

In our continuation of the investigation of the horrific fire that took the lives of three toddlers in Corsicana, TX, we really pick apart the investigation and the conviction of Cameron Todd Willingham. So, was an innocent man sentenced to death for a tragic accident or was it arson? Join us as we dig deeper into this case. 

Sources:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/09/07/trial-by-fire

In this first of a two-part episode, we explore the horrific fire that took the lives of three toddlers in Corsicana, TX only 3 days before Christmas in 1991.  A distraught and injured father told a neighbor to call 911 because his babies were inside his burning home. Was this a tragic accident or was it something more sinister? Join us as we pick apart the investigation and remember the three precious victims. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 

Sources will be provided after part 2 is available. 

On February 16, 1987, Warren Burns, a seasoned firefighter, was a newly appointed fire investigator on duty in Everett, Washington when a fire was reported at Everett Community College, where Burns himself had studied Fire Science. On his way to the scene, he heard the unthinkable over the radio, a firefighter had been separated from his team and was trapped inside the burning Library. The firefighter was Gary Parks, a close personal friend of Burns’. Gary Parks died that night in the line of duty and when the fire was declared arson, Burns’ vowed to never give up on holding the arsonist accountable for the death of his friend. Immediately, there were three main suspects that held the focus of investigators. But Burns along with the Parks family would endure more than three decades of waiting before the arsonist was sentenced in Gary Parks’ murder. This  to Crime to Burn. 

Crime to Burn is a true crime podcast focused on that intersection where true crime meets arson and criminal negligence. April is a licensed Fire Protection Engineer with 20 years of industry experience and a former firefighter. Jenny is a true crime buff and spent months talking April into taking on this project. Plus, Jenny keeps April from going too deep into the weeds on the science. No boring college science lectures here, it's all true crime, fire, and expert opinions. 

Special thanks to Warren Burns, Mike McGill, and Dave Statter

Show sources:

The majority of this Episode is from an interview with former Fire Investigator, Warren Burns. 

Other sources:

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/02/16/Library-fire-kills-firefighter-hurts-3-others/7739540450000/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT03m_Icht0

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/solved-arsonist-behind-1987-firefighters-death-was-only-12/

https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/lodd-history-25-years-later-firefighters-death-in-arson-weighs-on-family-comrades/

https://www.firehouse.com/safety-health/video/21216027/man-admits-to-starting-1987-fire-that-killed-wa-firefighter

https://myeverettnews.com/2021/05/13/judge-sentences-elmer-nash-jr-to-ten-years-in-death-of-everett-firefighter-gary-parks/

https://coffeeordie.com/everett-fire-1987/