Four vehicles torched in arsons on Wednesday

The White Lake Township Fire Department was kept busy in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Sept. 14, when several vehicles were set on fire.

Firefighters arrived at the 200 block of Clairbone around 1:30 a.m. to find a vehicle fully engulfed in flames. During the time they were fighting that fire, another fire broke out in a second vehicle, as did a blaze in another vehicle a few houses down the street, according to Fire Chief Anthony Maltese.

While the first vehicle was a total loss, the other two only had minor damage inside.

“The fires didn’t catch, and so they didn’t get going really well,” Maltese said of the subsequent blazes.

He added that when firefighters went back the next morning to that area of the township, they found a fourth car that had similar fire damage. All four cars had been unlocked.

“It all looks to be arson. The same procedure took place in each vehicle. They opened the car and lit anything combustible in it,” Maltese said.

Although firefighters are waiting for lab results, it doesn’t appear that any accelerants were used.

The Michigan Arson Prevention Committee is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the arsonist(s). Anybody with information about the fires is asked to contact the White Lake Police Department at 248-698-4400.