Dec. 27--A string of Christmas lights hangs melted in half above the front entrance of a residence on 575 West Jefferson. Black charred wood interrupts the lights, showing where a fire melted the holiday fixture.
That Dec. 20 fire is suspicious and the home had been recently vacated. And so is the Dec. 18 blaze that destroyed the vacant Old Parra Grocery store at Second and East Jefferson streets, along with a Sunday morning fire that destroyed another abandoned residence in the 1700 block of West Adams Street.
The fires were all within a mile of each other and happened in a one-week span.
"We have some leads and are following up on those," Brownsville Fire Chief Lenny Perez said.
But the rash of suspicious fires concerns Perez.
"Right now, they are hitting vacant homes, which threaten next-door neighbors. ... The thing we are worried about is if they are hitting vacant homes now, what if they go to houses with people?" Perez said. "And that concerns us. What if they turn their attention to any home?"
And the fires have affected neighboring homes.
The vacant house on West Adams Street is destroyed. All that's left is a pile of burned wood with pieces of twisted metal jutting in and out of it.
The fences on each side of the house are blackened, burned and sections are missing, but the fire department was able to stop the blaze from encroachment onto the neighbor's house.
"We want people to keep vigilant," Perez said. "If you see someone go into an abandoned building, call the police department so we can go investigate and hopefully we'll stop this."
Police spokesman J.J. Trevino said the department is working closely with fire investigators on the case.
He said signs have been posted at the structures asking anyone who has information to provide it to Crime Stoppers. An anonymous party donated a $1,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
But Trevino said Perez's concerns are very real.
"That's the thing. It's always there with any case like this," Trevino said of fears that whoever is responsible for the fires might hit a house that's not vacant. "But you don't really know. And you have to obviously expect or imagine the worse. Obviously, the sooner we catch this person or persons the better for everyone."
At the latest fire, Deputy Chief David Hinojosa said the house was vacant and police had gone there recently because of activity involving youths.
As for the first fire that destroyed the Old Parra Grocery store, the lot is empty now with the debris having been hauled away. All there is on the dirt lot now, is a power line post with a sign asking for information about the fires and offering a $1,000 reward leading to an arrest.
AT A GLANCE
A breakdown of suspicious fires in downtown Brownsville:
--Dec. 18: The Old Parra Grocery store across from St. Thomas Catholic Church burned to the ground early in the morning. The building on the corner of Second and East Jefferson Streets was vacant and undergoing renovation.
--Dec. 20: A vacant house at 575 W. Jefferson was destroyed by fire.
--Dec. 23: Another abandoned house, in the 1700 block of West Adams Street, was consumed by fire.
GET INVOLVED
Reward: $1,000
Why: For information leading to the arrest of subject(s) responsible for a possible arson of the Old Parra Grocery and the home at 6th and West Jefferson.
Who: Anyone with information can call Brownsville Crime Stoppers at (956) 546-8477 or visit Brownsville.crimestoppersweb.com, which has information about how to make an anonymous tip by phone, online or text message.
Contact: Anyone may also contact the Cameron County Sheriff's Office Crime Stoppers at (956) 350-5551, or visit www.co.cameron.tx.us/sheriffs/crimestoppers.htm
Copyright 2012 - The Brownsville Herald, Texas
