How TV’s The Waltons’ TV Home Was Destroyed By A Former Arson Investigator Turned Arsonist

The main set of a beloved American television classic was destroyed in a shocking manner

The Waltons remain one of the most beloved shows in television history. The story of the large rural Virginia family making their way through the Great Depression was based on the life of author Earl Hamner and attracted many fans during the nine seasons it ran. Unfortunately, not everyone held the family drama in high esteem, as the beloved home that was the setting for most episodes was destroyed by a former chief arson investigator turned arsonist who set it on fire in his attempts to become a well-known writer.

Few shows resonated with tv viewers quite like The Waltons. The wholesome family drama was a bit familiar to many, as every week the family or individual members persevered through trying situations. Every episode closed with the family wishing each other a good night as they settled into bed.

In addition to numerous ratings, the show drew huge viewership, even maintaining popularity when it went into syndication, which has continued to the present time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that everyone was a fan.

Similar to many other shows at the time, The Waltons were filmed on a Warner Brothers set known as “the jungle.” Initially created for the 1956 film Santiago, it originally resembled a lush and jungle-like environment. However, like most sets, it lived many lives, being able to be repurposed over and over as the need arose. It was there that a two-story farmhouse nicknamed Doonevan Flats, featuring a porch and a neighboring red barn, were erected and became known to millions as the iconic Walton home.

The show made it through its nine-year run with its set intact, but years after filming ended, the iconic farmhouse was torched and destroyed by a serial arsonist. According to The Orlando Sentinel in 1991, a deviant splashed a flammable substance on a chicken coop on the set before lighting it on fire. The ensuing flames quickly engulfed much of the fake home. Ultimately, the fire caused more than $200,000 in damages before studio firefighters were able to put it out.

The arrest of the arsonist proved to be the most scandalous moment of the entire incident. The man arrested from the crime was John Orr, who was shockingly the former chief arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department. It was determined that he was also a pyromaniac and was believed to have started around 2,000 fires, which resulted in four deaths. An investigation revealed that Orr was driven by a fascination with arson, which he had detailed in a book he wrote called, Points of Origin.

Orr was so notorious as a fire starter before he was identified and caught that he had earned the nicknames of The Frito Bandito and the Pillow Pyro. He was known for starting fires by often using a lit cigarette in addition to several matches that he would wrap in paper and rubber bands. He was so brazen that he would sometimes toss his incendiary devices into stores and other places with people inside. His acts led to him being sentenced to four concurrent life sentences and an additional 21 years on top of that. Now in his mid-70s, he is still in prison after already serving more than 25 years, and is expected to die behind bars.

The razing of the Walton set didn’t signify an end to the cultural landmark. A replica of the house was later rebuilt on a different Warner Brothers lot. This second farmhouse not only served as a memorial to the popular show, but it later found a second lease on life when it became a setting for the Dragonfly Inn on Gilmore Girls, a show that lasted seven seasons of its own (2000–2007).

In many ways, the perseverance of The Waltons’ set was an extension of the Hollywood family that called it home for nearly a decade. No matter the trying circumstances, it found a way to keep going and establish a legacy that continued and evolved much like the popular family.