Program note: California investigators are trying to track down a suspected arsonist who may have set one of the current wildfires burning. Watch Ted Rowlands’ report on how a community tracked down a serial arsonist; along with Ted’s jailhouse interview with the man whose compulsion destroyed hundreds of homes and terrified thousands of people.

Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources Officer Gary Margheim shows CNN photographer Tom Larson where he found a critical clue — the arsonist's 'sparking' device.

Michael Cary
CNN Western Region Senior Producer

Imagine waking up on a warm summer day wondering whether or not an arsonist may spark a fire that would wipe out your home? That’s the nightmare residents of Kittitas County in central Washington dealt with daily during the summer of 2004 when fires were erupting sporadically, sometimes as many as three in one day.

“The public was stressed out. We had people not wanting to leave their homes,” said Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana. “We had rumors of people on hilltops with rifles in the afternoon watching for people that might be trying to light fires.”

Sheriff Dana set up a multi-agency task force filled with federal, state and local law enforcement and fire officials to catch the arsonist and bring a sense of security back to the rural community.

The fires started small, mostly on the side of highways. Then the arsonist started setting them near structures. The largest, dubbed the Elk Heights fire, forced hundreds to evacuate and ultimately destroyed two homes. That was bad, but 11 days later, the arsonist sparked three fires in one afternoon sending a shudder through law enforcement.

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Michael Cary
CNN Senior Producer

There’s a sense of excitement in Clark County, Nevada, this election day, not only because of the historic nature of the contest, but because there’s been a real battle for the state’s five electoral votes.

We talked to voters outside a polling location at Basic High School in Henderson, a city neighboring Las Vegas, after they cast their votes in the school’s gym.

“This is the biggest moment in my life, and I think there’s a lot riding on this,” said Ryan Moxley, a 31-year-old maintenance manager who said he voted for Obama. “This is a very historic time and I’m glad to be part of it actually.”

81-year-old retiree Daniel Schears expressed a far different opinion. “This is the worst, filthiest election I have ever witnessed,” he said, adding that he’s been voting since he was 21. “They have lied. They have told all sorts of stories that are not true, and to me, I don’t care what side they’re on, that’s terrible.”

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