Firefighters battle rash of arson fires

By Michael Burke
Journal Times

Monday, September 22, 2008 11:18 AM CDT

RACINE — South-side arson fires kept firefighters here running to a series of fires for most of the early hours of Sunday.

Racine Fire Department Division Chief Kevin Bush said the sequence started about 1:15 a.m. Sunday with a car fire at 1937 Center St.

As firefighters were dousing that blaze — later determined to be arson — they got another call. It came from a two-story, vacant wood-frame structure under renovation at 1110 17th St. Officials said the fire started on the back porch and climbed from there.

The blaze caused an estimated $20,000 in damage and was also determined to be arson, Bush said.

Even as firefighters were busy extinguishing that fire, another alarm came in — this time from 1816 Howe St., Bush said. A two-car garage containing two vehicles was fully engulfed in flames.

And at another garage, just three garages north, someone had tried to start it burning, Bush said. Firefighters were able to prevent that from happening by moving a trash can that contained burning materials.

Finally, just as firefighters were mopping up from those fires, at about 5 a.m., they got a fire call on the north side of the city, at 3317 Charles St. A candle started that house fire, Bush said, and damage was estimated at $11,000. This was not arson, he said.

“We were literally going from fire to fire,” he said.

Firefighters detest arson, Bush said. “Obviously, it’s a needless crime and also a very dangerous one for people who live there, and very, very dangerous to firefighters.”

Anyone with information about those fires can contact the City of Racine Fire Prevention Bureau at (262) 635-7915.

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