Valdez police and fire officials are on the lookout for an arsonist or group of arsonists after a spate of suspicious fires, including a car behind Gilson Junior High School.

“We’re working on a few leads,” said Bill Comer, chief of police.

A dumpster here, an outhouse there.

A number of nuisance crimes, such as stealing political signs off lawns and dumping over flower pots have also been reported lately.

“I kind of just think it’s kids,” Comer said of the arson. “It’s kind of crimes of opportunity.”

The issues of vandalism and arson heated up after it was determined the mobile home at Aleutian Village that burned down July 9 was intentionally set.

“It was a set fire,” Comer said, “It’s certainly somebody out there being a little more malicious.”

George Keeney, chief of the Valdez Fire Dept., was circumspect.

“It is very suspicious that we’ve been having these,” he said of the string of fires, especially the mobile home that burned so hot it melted the caulking and torch down on a neighboring trailer.

“It’s still under investigation,” Keeney said of the fire.

A second fire in a vacant mobile in the park is also under investigation, according to Keeney. Fortunately, that blaze was put out before it spread.

Comer said police are not ruling out the possibility that the fires are set by the same person or group, including.

“There certainly is a possibility they are related,” he said.