Some crimes are so heartbreaking or shocking that they change laws, change society, or even

earn the label Crime of the Century.

But the stories that made headlines in decades past aren't necessarily remembered today.

I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist and author, and in each episode of this show, I'll examine a case that's maybe lesser known today, but was huge when it happened.

This is Crimes of the Centuries.

Music This is Crimes of the Centuries. This is Crimes of the Centuries. There was something very odd about the two almost simultaneous grocery store fires in South Pasadena, California in October 1984.

For starters, people in South Pasadena could not remember a time when there were two significant fires on the same day.

And maybe not so oddly, both had been lit by a makeshift device that involved a cigarette,

matches, and a rubber band.

Both also, and here it gets really odd, started in the potato chip

aisle. More to the point, they started in the potato chips. Though maybe you can explain that

away. After all, potato chips are full of grease and fires need fuel, and grease is particularly

good at helping to maintain a fire.

The people whose job it was to determine how fires start had no trouble calling both of the

fire's arson, you know, fires that are purposely set. Then a third fire was called in that day

in South Pasadena.

Phil Garol fought that fire.

I was given search and rescue, so I went and opened the door, went into the building.

And when I got inside, it was, as you would imagine, hell would be.

Everything was just fully engulfed. There's no way that somebody could have been alive in there.

This one was in a big home improvement store,

which spread quickly and destroyed the store.

...