Moreno Valley Flats Arsonist - 1991
Walter Cline Miller cir. 1991
Another case from the archives. The Banning Pass in Riverside County, California is easily one of the most arson plagued areas in the entire United States. Numerous serial arsonists have been identified in the area over the past 50 years, and sadly, 11 firefighters have died on duty because of fires set by these arsonists. The following case history is excerpted from Ed Nordskog's upcoming book on the many unsolved arson/murders in the Banning Pass. Contributors to this story include Joe Konefal and retired California Department of Forestry (CDF) Arson Investigator Cliff Williams. Photos were obtained from former CDF Investigator Doug Allen.
In 1991, California Department of Forestry (CDF) had yet another serial arsonist on their hands in the Banning Pass. That year a series of nearly 30 wildland fires erupted on the very west side of the pass, adjacent to the City of Moreno Valley. Local crews began finding arson fires in the area known as the “flats”, which lies between Moreno Valley and Beaumont, along the 60 Freeway.
CDF investigators began to find remnants of road flares at the origin of multiple arson fires. They recognized the flares looked like the same style and brand as the ones carried on the local fire engines.
Armed with this and other information, CDF brought in their Arson Investigation Unit (AIU) team which was based in Sacramento. This team was composed of experienced CDF investigators from throughout the state, who specialized in major arson and serial arson cases.
The team operated in an “undercover” capacity in that they drove unmarked vehicles and wore civilian attire. They typically came into an area at the request of a local CDF unit chief, and normally did not include any local investigators in their investigations, for fear of information leaks. They stayed in local hotels for weeks at a time and conducted detailed surveillance operations on suspected arsonists. Because of earlier serial arson cases in the area, they were well acquainted with the Banning Pass.
Desert Sun Nov. 5, 1991
In 2022, I interviewed retired AIU Investigator Cliff Williams about the case. Williams (who was approaching 80 years of age) could not recall all the case specifics but did state the investigation centered around a CDF Volunteer Firefighter named Walter Cline Miller, who was thirty-three years old at the time. Miller was a volunteer at the CDF/Riverside County fire station #58 in Moreno Valley.
Inv. Williams said a big clue in their investigation regarding Miller was he lived in Moreno Valley and drove a small yellow Toyota pick-up truck when not on duty. The investigative team got a real break when they found out the truck had four different brands of tires, each with a different tread pattern. The team utilized this forensic information and documented tire impression patterns at several of the arson scenes. Once they realized they were looking at a local firefighter, they started comparing the times of the fires to the shifts of the full-time and volunteer firefighters in the area. They found Walt Miller was being paid to respond to most of the arson fires in the area. They surreptitiously took a detailed look at his vehicle’s tires and were able to link them to several of the arson scenes.
Based on a detailed analysis of the arson scenes, it was clear the arsonist was igniting road flares within his vehicle, and then pulling up to an area of dry vegetation where he would drop or toss the flare out of the window. This type of method of operation (M.O.) is simple and effective, and not uncommon for wildland offenders. This crude ignition system, while reliable, leaves a distinctive “bread trail” of evidence behind for the investigators to exploit:
1. If the arsonist pulls off the paved roadway, he will be leaving tire impression evidence, (as he did in this case) which, if processed correctly, can forensically link a vehicle to a crime scene or multiple crime scenes.
2. The use of a flare always leaves tell-tale “slag” at the origin of the fire. This “slag” is fused metal and will remain visible at the scene for months. This tells the investigator the exact ignition method used by the arsonist.
3. Oftentimes when an arsonist is using a flare, the first responding fire engines notice the still brightly burning item in the blackened area of origin, even several minutes after the advancing flame front of the fire has moved down wind. Flares are designed to burn for a specific length of time such as 15, 20, or 30 minutes, and will continue to burn even after all the fuel (vegetation) is consumed in the area of origin. A bonus to investigators is if the responding fire crew locates a still burning flare, they can extinguish it quickly, and thereby preserve the remainder of the flare which may yield additional forensics to include the brand, style, length, a lot number, some sort of packaging material, and possibly even fingerprints and DNA.
4. The flares usually come with some sort of igniter within a plastic cap. The igniter is removed from the flare, then struck in a friction-like movement that ignites the item. The plastic cap/igniter is often discarded at the scene, or even better, dropped within the suspect’s vehicle. If the suspect is found quickly the cap can be located and tested for forensics.
5. The flares, when burning, produce melting, dripping slag. It is not uncommon for someone who uses such an item to get this material on their clothing or in their vehicle before they can toss the flare. This leaves very noticeable burn marks on clothing, car seats, floor mats, etc. that can be salvaged for evidence purposes.
An overall analysis of the use of flares by a serial arsonist reveals they are indeed reliable ignition devices and will readily ignite the wildland if placed in the proper fuel bed. However, the drawbacks as illustrated above are many. The last major drawback is the flare is not a “delay device”, as it instantly will ignite the vegetation. This does not afford the arsonist a delay time where he can safely leave the area prior to ignition. It exposes the arsonist to being seen at or near the start of the fire.
In the case of Miller, several of these things occurred, which led to his arrest and conviction. When CDF’s AIU team got a warrant to search his vehicle, they observed the obvious signs someone had been lighting flares. Miller had apparently dropped a lit flare or two within his truck, leaving burn and scorch marks on the paint inside the driver’s side door. The front driver’s seat also displayed burn marks from dripping slag. Investigators found expended flare caps inside the cab of Miller’s truck along with unburned flares like the ones being found at the arson sites. He was not a very clever criminal.
The evidence inside of Miller’s personal truck, along with his tire impressions at some of the scenes, and the fact he received pay for many of the arson fires, pointed a huge arrow at Walt Miller as the Moreno Valley Flats Arsonist. He was arrested while staffing a fire engine. The AIU immediately turned Miller over to the senior CDF law enforcement official in Riverside County, Battalion Chief Doug Allen, who was known as the local expert on serial arsonists.
Walter Miller Arrest 1991
Walt Miller was eventually charged for some of the fires, along with fraud by the Riverside District Attorney, as he had been paid for some of the fires he had set. He was later convicted of these crimes. It was Investigator Williams’ recollection Miller had spent some time in prison.
Although the aged investigator’s memory may have faded a bit, his recollections have been confirmed by a short article from The Desert Sun newspaper on November 5, 1991. The article is titled, Volunteer Firefighter Arrested After Blaze, and lists Walter Cline Miller as the suspect after a 50-acre brush fire in Moreno Valley. In 2023, Miller's case file and arrest photos were found in the archives of material found at (now-deceased) Doug Allen's home.
Analysis: A rough analysis of Miller based on this limited case study shows he was an obvious and unsophisticated wildland serial arsonist. He was a prototype for other firefighter arsonists in that he used a pre-acquired ignition source, set fires within his own jurisdiction, was engaged in fighting his own fires, and received pay for fighting his fires. While the information no longer exists to determine motive, it is likely, like other wildland firefighter arsonists, that he would have a blend of motives from financial gain to thrill seeking, and possibly recognition. Miller lacked sophistication in his actions and did not use a delay device. He was easy to identify and link to multiple arson scenes.