Burning Addiction
Who would have thought the friendly face of the local fire captain would turn out to be the most prolific arsonist of the 20th century? Burning Addiction follows John Orr, a convicted serial arsonist and mass murderer, who was once a fire captain and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. Doug Staubs was his partner in the arson unit. Host Maria Staubs tells the story of her dad’s time with John along with others who knew him.
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Episodes
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
What drove John Orr to set over two thousand fires in the span of seven years? We hear from Joseph Wambaugh, award-winning author of "Fire Lover," along with Lori Orr and my dad, Doug Staubs, who was John Orr's partner. Learn how John Orr received sexual arousal and gratification from setting fires.
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
The trusted fire captain was arrested. My dad recalls the times he came close to catching John Orr, who at the time, was his partner in the arson unit. But, who would suspect their partner of being a serial arsonist?
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Who was John Orr? Learn about the "normal" life of the convicted serial arsonist and mass murderer before he was arrested.
Maria Staubs
I'm your host, Maria Staubs! My dad, Doug Staubs, is pictured on the left.
Growing up, I heard all sorts of stories about his days as a police officer. One that stood out to me was the story of John Orr. He was my dad's partner in the 80's, the trusted fire captain of Glendale, California and a renowned arson investigator. But, he had a deadly secret. He was addicted to setting fires- over two thousand fires to be exact, one of which killed four people.
My podcast tells the story of John Orr with insight from my dad, John Orr's previous partner, Dennis Wilson, Lori Orr, John's daughter and Joseph Wambaugh, master crime writer and author of "Fire Lover."
Learn what compelled John Orr to set these fires and how he used his fire captain status to trick those around him, including my Dad, who almost caught him a few times.