LEWISTON, ID – An 82-year-old Lewiston man is now facing three felony arson charges after investigators linked him to a series of fires in Lewiston and Culdesac earlier this month, according to court documents.
Carl D. Vulgamore has been charged with two additional counts of arson in the third degree. He was also charged with one count earlier this week. Court documents allege that Vulgamore’s maroon Chevrolet pickup was seen at or near the scenes of multiple fires between August 3 and August 9, 2025.
Three of the fires were on a hillside off 8th Avenue, between 15th Street and 16th Street in Lewiston. There were also three suspicious fires in the Culdesac area on the evening of August 8, all within a quarter mile of each other.
Newly filed court records say deputies and fire crews responded to a grass fire near Highway 95 and Culdesac and, shortly after, to another fire at a residence on Morning Glory Lane. The second fire spread toward the home and outbuildings before being stopped. While suppressing the fire, deputies were notified of a third fire approximately half a mile away on Cottonwood Creek Road.
A witness told deputies he saw a red and silver truck drive by, make a U-turn, and pass by again just before he noticed a fire along the road. Security camera images from a nearby home showed what appeared to be Vulgamore’s Chevrolet pickup traveling east past the residence at 5:31 p.m. and returning west at 5:39 p.m., shortly before the fire was reported at 5:42 p.m.
In the Lewiston fires on August 5, 6, and 9, surveillance video allegedly shows Vulgamore’s pickup arriving at the scene, stopping briefly, and leaving just before the fires started.
Prior to his arrest in Lewiston on Monday, police searched Vulgamore’s vehicle, officers found paper towels—some crumpled and stored under a pillow on the front seat—and a long wand-style lighter. Vulgamore told police the paper towels were for wiping his hands and the lighter was for camping. He denied starting any of the fires.
Investigators allege his statements were inconsistent with witness accounts, video footage, and physical evidence. Authorities said no natural or accidental ignition sources were found at any of the fire sites, and the circumstances were consistent with arson.
Vulgamore appeared in court on Tuesday, where his bond was set at $100,000 for the first arson charge.
He was back in court Wednesday on the new pair of charges, related to the fires in the Culdesac area. Prosecutors asked for a high bond as they informed the court that Vulgamore has also been charged with multiple misdemeanor crimes in the last four years.
“The State is requesting a high bond because the Defendant has been connected to five separate fires over a six day period and poses a risk to the community,” say court documents. Although prosecutors sought another $100,000 bond, Judge Karin Seubert set the bond at just $5,000 on the new charges.
If Vulgamore is convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine on each charge.
