Arsonist strikes Armenian cemetery again, setting fire to twenty trees since January

Fresno is scheduled to raise the Armenian flag on Wednesday to commemorate the Armenian genocide, but the local Armenian cemetery continues to be hit by arson, a problem that has been going on for months.

Other cemeteries adjacent to the Ararat Armenian Cemetery in southwest Fresno have also been hit by arson, leaving police unable to call the fires a hate crime.

The backstory: An arsonist has struck the Ararat Armenian Cemetery and its neighbors on the 160-hectare land eleven times since January 13.

• According to the Fresno Fire Department, a total of about 30 trees were damaged and 20 trees were set on fire at the Ararat Armenian Cemetery.

Send the news: The most recent incident occurred late Sunday evening, when two police officers were already in the area dealing with another incident when they noticed trees on fire at the Armenian Ararat Cemetery.

• The arsonist targeted cypress trees, which according to the fire brigade are highly flammable and an easier target for arson than other trees.
• Nine of the eleven incidents occurred late at night.

The big picture: Fire officials said at a news conference Tuesday that they have a suspect they are trying to contact.

• Without a suspect in hand and a known motive, the fire department is not calling the arson a hate crime at this time.
• Valley Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who can help police find the arsonist.

What they say: “We don’t have a suspect, so without a suspect we keep that avenue open at all times,” Deputy Fire Marshal Jay Tracy said when asked if the incidents constitute a hate crime. “But at this point, we don’t have anything that would lead us to believe this is a form of hate crime.”