Special Agent Terry Kearns

We needed help.

We needed help.

They would sit in the preserve overnight with night vision goggles and all that.

They would sit in the preserve overnight with night vision goggles and all that.

Our joke with the fire department was that they wash all the evidence away because what do you do? You put the wet stuff on the red stuff, right?

Our joke with the fire department was that they wash all the evidence away because what do you do? You put the wet stuff on the red stuff, right?

We set up a 1-800 hotline so that people could call in if they had tips of anything that they thought might be helpful.

We set up a 1-800 hotline so that people could call in if they had tips of anything that they thought might be helpful.

We had a lot of phone calls with leads coming in. I think we had thousands.

We had a lot of phone calls with leads coming in. I think we had thousands.

Some of them you look at more seriously and some you can rule out right away.

Some of them you look at more seriously and some you can rule out right away.

We would rather somebody call something in and go run it out and it be nothing than to not be that call and it was the one call that might give us the break that we needed.

We would rather somebody call something in and go run it out and it be nothing than to not be that call and it was the one call that might give us the break that we needed.

In my career, just over 20 years, there was probably only one or two times I had a case where there wasn't a skeleton in the closet.

In my career, just over 20 years, there was probably only one or two times I had a case where there wasn't a skeleton in the closet.

You can't just go down one rabbit hole. You kind of have to try to look at as many possibilities as you can.

You can't just go down one rabbit hole. You kind of have to try to look at as many possibilities as you can.

As soon as we'd have surveillance on a mile area, an arson would happen just outside of that surveillance area.

As soon as we'd have surveillance on a mile area, an arson would happen just outside of that surveillance area.

We would expand the surveillance area, and arson would happen just outside, to the point where we really started wondering, is there a leak?

We would expand the surveillance area, and arson would happen just outside, to the point where we really started wondering, is there a leak?

I had been out to dinner with some friends and was driving home. It was dark, and the windows were up because it was cold. And I think it must have just come in through the vents. And I smelled that smell of something burning, and I freaked out.

I had been out to dinner with some friends and was driving home. It was dark, and the windows were up because it was cold. And I think it must have just come in through the vents. And I smelled that smell of something burning, and I freaked out.

And I'm like, there's another arson. Where is this at? You know, why haven't we got a call? I think he thought I lost it. He's like, calm down. We haven't got any calls. Just that smell triggered those arson sites. You really put your life into cases like this.

And I'm like, there's another arson. Where is this at? You know, why haven't we got a call? I think he thought I lost it. He's like, calm down. We haven't got any calls. Just that smell triggered those arson sites. You really put your life into cases like this.