LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - The Lake County Sheriff's Office has announced that they are increasing the reward to help find the person responsible for a number of fires set around Umatilla.
The reward is now up to $5,000 for a tip to Crimeline leading to an arrest. All callers can remain anonymous.
Deputies have been trying to figure out who is behind at least 9 fires set in the area since last month.
Officials can't say for sure if all of the fires are connected but they are suspicious. A special arson task force is on the case. The latest fires breaking out at a Umatilla mobile home and a dumpster behind a Save-a-Lot store.
Some neighbors say they're now living in fear since the flames and smoke are hitting way too close to home.
"They've got to be stopped before someone ends up hurt or dead,” said Brian Carter.
The arsonist could even be hurting himself.
In a surveillance video from a Sunoco gas station, the arsonist poured liquid all over the convenience store counter, lighting an object, tossing it on the counter and then he seems to burn himself in the process.
If you have any information about these fires or the suspect seen in the videos, you can call Crimeline anonymously at 1-800-423-TIPS.