Anthony Burton had a hard time growing up. Living in the tenements of New York with an abusive alcoholic father and losing his mother at an early age left him spending far too much time on the streets. This time was often spent playing in alleyways and engaging in petty theft. As he grew older he found that he had an interest in fire. A frail man, he was not suited to be a fireman, and thus became an arsonist. In need of funds he engaged in business with a wealthy man who owned a large tract of slum tenements. This man had a problem, he wanted to raze the tenements and build a shiny new business district. Sadly he could not break the rental contracts and evict the renters. Anthony would be his savior and set light to the buildings, renters and all. The night of the job Anthony checked his tools in anticipation, he would make it look as if it was a faulty boiler. He grinned, only he and his employer would know the truth. He would stand in the crowd afterwards and watch as the building went up like tinder. Little did he know of that faulty lock on the basement door. The one that would on occasion lock people in the basement. That night Anthony was not in the crowd watching his handy work, his seat was much more up close and personal.
This is a fine portrait of our arsonist which transforms to show his fiery end.