Suspicious House Fires In South Florida Rising; Any Link To Foreclosures?

This is the question being asked by officials with the State Fire Marshal's office in Lee County, Florida, according to a report by NBC2 (Channel 2 - Fort Myers). According to the story:

• "Through just the first six months of 2007, the number of suspicious fires under investigation in Lee County has more than tripled compared to all of 2006. [...] Officials with the Fire Marshal's Office say this is a problem all over South Florida and they're keeping an eye on the growing number of fires."

"Are they behind on their mortgage payments and they're trying to get out of a bad house deal?' This is a key question being asked in arson investigations, according to one fire official.

For more, see Number of suspicious fires on the rise, or watch Channel 2 TV report (by reporter Josh Davidsburg).