Fire Capt. Orr Terminated After Arson Conviction

GLENDALE — Glendale city officials terminated fire Capt. John Orr on Friday, the one-time arson investigator who was sentenced in November to 30 years in federal prison for setting three arson fires in the San Joaquin Valley.

Orr, 43, had been on unpaid administrative leave from his job since being arrested in December, 1991, on suspicion of setting eight fires in Southern California. He was later charged in a separate case with setting the San Joaquin Valley fires.

Asst. Fire Chief Chris Gray said officials waited for Orr to exhaust his legal challenges before firing him.

“We were extremely saddened . . . and still in a delayed state of shock about the whole affair,” Gray said. “It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances.”