Fire Sparks Mile-Long Car Wreck That Kills 10

Max Kay lit curtains on fire after being refused more booze

(NEWSER) - A British groom will be enjoying a six-year honeymoon by himself, in prison. Real estate developer Max Kay, 37, started a fire at his own wedding party after hotel staff refused to let him extend a bar tab, reports SkyNews . Kay waited until the early morning hours after the squabble before setting hotel curtains ablaze. The fire spread wildly, and nearly 200 guests were evacuated, though none were injured. The damage cost around $20 million, and Kay was sentenced to six years behind bars for arson. More»

Totally makes sense, right?

(NEWSER) - There’s only one obvious reason a person might set his motel room blankets on fire: Because he thinks he’s sharing the room with Satan. That’s the excuse a 52-year-old Washington man gave to cops after allegedly starting the motel room fire Friday, the Herald reports. He had been staying at the Days Inn for about a month and had been asked to move out the day of the morning blaze, which was contained to just one room but damaged six. More»

(NEWSER) - The fire that engulfed a wedding tent in Kuwait and killed 43 women and children in less than 3 minutes was set by the groom's ex-wife, local media reported today. A government spokesman confirmed that the arsonist has confessed, according to the AP, but offered no further details. The incident has left the small nation reeling, and Kuwait's emir has canceled his annual Ramadan reception out of sympathy for the victims. More»

(NEWSER) - Officials in the coastal Texas town of Galveston are baffled by a series of arson fires targeting palm trees, the Houston Chronicle reports. “This is strange,” the town’s fire marshal says of the spree, which has hit 30 trees since May. “It’s the first case in my experience dealing with a tree arsonist.” More»

He's accused of lighting a fire that killed 21 people

(NEWSER) - The first suspect to be charged in one of the Australian blazes that killed as many as 300 people has been identified as a 39-year-old volunteer firefighter, reports the Times of London. He's accused of igniting a fire that killed 21 people 100 miles east of Melbourne. The suspect's identity had not been released earlier due to fears for his safety. Officials suspect at least one other case of arson in the fires that seared through thousands of acres. More»