Arson investigators say public health is important

State officials who investigate arson in Iowa are targeting the public this week as part of “National Arson Week.” Dennis Chapman is President of the Iowa Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators. Chapman says information supplied by the public is key in solving arson cases. He says if you see someone doing things out of the ordinary with combustibles are things such as gas that are used to set a fire.Chapman, who works for the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, says many of the arson fires in Iowa are started by children. And he says people often start fires in anger to get back at someone, or to cover up a crime.There were over 16-hundred arson fires resulting in six million dollars in damage in Iowa in 1998. Chapman says technology is helping improve arson investigation, but many cases still go unsolved.Chapman says if you have information on a possible arson, you can call the arson hotline at 1-800-532-1459.