Two Ill. Firefighters Arrested on Arson Charges

July 1, 2011

Two firefighters are accused of setting fires in Cairo, according to, WPSD-TV.

Firefighters Richard Scott Pitcher and David Patrick with the Cairo Auxiliary Fire Department were arrested on Thursday with two counts of arson.

The judge set a $10,000 cash bond for both men.

Since September of 2007, there have been more than 50 arsons in Cairo, all unsolved.

Cairo's Auxiliary Fire Department Chief Bob Simpson said the two suspects were probationary firefighters.

"If you had somebody running around sabotaging your organization, you'd be upset, too," he told the news station.

Illinois State Police is handling the investigation but wouldn't go into detail about the case.

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