Residents Scared by Fires, but Vigilance Best Defense: Stratton
Police and fire officials are working with 15 fire investigators in an effort to solve the five car/house fires that started Christmas Day.
Plainfield Deputy Fire Chief Jon Stratton knows Hazelwood Drive residents fear a serial arsonist could be targeting their cars and homes. And he can't blame them for being scared, given that the five vehicle fires set since Dec. 25 have occurred within a small section of the 16700 block of Hazelwood, he said. In two cases, the cars were inside garages attached to two-level town houses, allowing the flames to spread and in one case almost completely destroy a home. His advice: Be vigilant. Keep your eyes open. Park your cars in the garage, if you can, and lock both the garage door and the car. "We just want to calm people down," Stratton said. "They are arson fires. I'm not going to tell people they aren't. ... (But) it's a crime of …
In this Article:
Erica
11:39 pm on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Had someone died in one of these fires, the arsonist would be charged with murder. If that is the case, there is no reason why each of these incidents shouldn't be seen as attempted murder. more ›