Firefighters To Blame In Boston’s Historic Arson Spree

Police officers, firefighters, and regular old civilians were to blame in Massachusetts' most infamous arson spree that took place for a few years back in the early '80s.

If you've seen the movie "Backdraft" (1991), you've seen this ironic plot twist play out on the big screen where a firefighter was caught setting fires in protest to budget cuts that subsequently closed fire houses.

Well, that was a movie and this was real life - back in 1980, Boston had plans to layoff 1,100 police officers and firefighters because of a limit on how much tax revenue the city could collect from property taxes.

A group of eight individuals, including police officers, firefighters, and civilians, set between 163 and 260 fires across Boston and nine surrounding towns to protest Proposition 2½, a 1980 tax-limiting measure that led to significant layoffs of police and firefighters.

Firefighters To Blame In Boston's Historic Arson Spree

The arson spree is believed to have lasted at least 10-14 months, starting in late 1981 after the budget cuts went into effect. Some sources say the fires lasted through 1984. Most of the fires were set using "La Bomba," which was a time-delay incendiary device. -grunge.com

Their goal was to increase public demand for reinstating these positions by highlighting the need for public safety services. The fires targeted mostly vacant or abandoned buildings, but some were set for profit or revenge, including the destruction of the Massachusetts Fire Academy, costing an estimated $2 million, and the Sparks Association headquarters.

During the arson spree, it was said that $22 million dollars of damage and approximately 300 firefighters were hurt battling the blazes. Boston became known as the arson capital of the world at that time.