KOKOMO, Ind. — An arrest has been made in connection with a half-dozen intentionally set fires in Kokomo over a dangerous 48-hour span.
The Kokomo Police Department confirmed to 13News the arrest of a 29-year-old man "in regards to the arson investigations." A department spokesperson said the man, who has not yet been formally charged, was also arrested by the department on an unrelated warrant.
Online jail records indicate the man was arrested shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12.
(NOTE: 13News does not name suspects in cases until formal charges are filed by prosecutors.)
The spokesperson said the investigation regarding the arsons remains ongoing, and more information is expected to be released later Tuesday.
For a solid hour early Saturday morning, the emergency calls and the flames kept coming in Kokomo.
"It was definitely a rough weekend," said Glenda Myers, division chief of fire investigations for the Kokomo Fire Department. "We had four vehicle fires and one house fire."
All occurred in an eight-block radius.
All were set intentionally.
Wendy Solis captured the start of the nightmare next door on her phone: her neighbor's SUV getting torched and totaled.
RELATED: Kokomo Fire Department investigating series of 'suspicious' overnight vehicle, structure fires
"And you know that's just one family affected," Solis said. "Every one of these fires affected another family, and that doesn't seem fair. Whoever you're angry with, it isn't fair. It's not right."
Investigators said the string of arsons started at 1:51 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, when an SUV was set ablaze on West Mulberry Street.
What followed was fire after fire until 2:51 a.m., on North Webster, West Taylor, West Jackson and West Jefferson streets.
They left mangled metal, charred vehicles and a now-boarded up house all damaged.
Somehow, nobody was hurt.
"It certainly could have been worse," Kokomo's Assistant Police Chief Brian Seldon said. "So now, we're just trying to put the pieces together and see what we can come up with. It's just important that we get this individual caught as soon as possible."
Investigators said it looks like the arsonist struck again on Monday.
An abandoned building in the 400 block of East Havens Street was hit just before 3 a.m. Aug. 12.
The building that housed a former motorcycle club burned to the ground, and the fire damaged a car wash next door.
Police and firefighters spent Monday afternoon going door to door in neighborhoods, gathering surveillance images of a possible suspect.
One neighbor shared his security video with 13News from Monday morning.
It shows a man in a white shirt on a bicycle ride up to the building at 2:07 a.m. and spend some time on the property.
Moments later, the building exploded in flames.
Then, from Saturday, Kokomo police shared security video of the potential suspect walking near cars, just before they're set on fire.
Solis captured the guy on camera, too.
"It just shows him circling the vehicle and then running this way, and then, you see the flash of the fire," Solis said.
Now, neighbors and investigators have a message for the serial arsonist, who they're determined to stop.
"If you're watching, you're going to be caught," Myers said. "Arson is a crime, and we take it serious around here, and we're not going to tolerate it in Kokomo."
"You need to think about the people you're hurting, who've done nothing to you," Solis said.
"Please stop before you get somebody seriously hurt or killed," Seldon said. "We don't want to wake up tomorrow morning and find another structure fire or vehicular fire."
Investigators told 13News they are following up on solid leads and said the arsonist did leave evidence behind.
They ask if you have information, photos or videos that could help solve the string of arsons, contact Kokomo Police at 765-456-7100 or the Kokomo Fire Department at 765-457-2636.
You can also share a tip by clicking here.