Fraud investigators see spike in suspicious home kitchen fires

A pattern of suspicious kitchen fires — apparently set by homeowners trying to collect insurance money — has led state investigators and insurance companies to work together to uncover the bogus claims. Two state task forces are now investigating the trend in kitchen fires. South Florida had nearly half of the state’s fraud-related home arson cases investigated by the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud in fiscal year 2010-2011, state records show.