May 02--TERRE HAUTE -- A garage fire Wednesday night reduced another structure to charred timber, adding to a string of arsons that has residents of a Terre Haute neighborhood concerned about safety.
Wednesday evening's fire in the 2200 block of Second Avenue was reported around 7 p.m, after a resident smelled something burning and went outside to investigate.
The fire not only destroyed the detached garage and its contents, but also damaged a storage shed, heavily damaged two other nearby garages and charred a wooden fence.
Investigators are hoping that someone with information about the incidents or about possible suspects will report information that can stop the arsons.
"When these people set these fires, whether they are doing it for kicks or trying to get back at someone, they don't realize how dangerous these fires are," said Chief Jeff Fisher of the Terre Haute Fire Department.
"If a firefighter gets hurt, even if it's just by twisting an ankle from stepping in a hole at the scene, or if a police officer gets hurt en route to the scene, for example, these people can be brought up on battery charges."
Since July 2013, THPD has had seven arsons reported in the area, with four occurring this year. Two of those fires involved garages, Fisher said. Two more fires involved rubbish such as couches, which damaged nearby property. The other fires were residences. One vacant home was set on fire twice.
Most of those fires have been in the neighborhood north of Locust Street between 25th and 19th streets and south of Third Avenue.
"This is not the only area," Fisher said of recent arson investigations, "but this seems like it is a pretty centralized area with multiple arson fires."
What makes the most recent fire disturbing, said arson investigator Lt. Norm Loudermilk, is that whoever set the fire did so while the residents were inside the nearby home cooking supper.
"It was still daylight. People were out. That's what makes it scary," Loudermilk told the Tribune-Star while examining the charred remains on Thursday. "The high heat caused adjacent property damage, and it endangered lives. But none of the neighbors we've spoken to saw anything. We don't know if it's kids, or whoever it is, thinking that this is a joke."
Fortunately, a neighbor was able to remove his vehicle from an adjacent garage in case the fire spread. The garage that burned did not contain vehicles, but it did have furniture, clothing and book cases inside.
"It went up pretty quick," he said of the spreading fire.
When the resident first noticed the fire through a side door of the garage, the fire was on the floor and spreading. That led Loudermilk to speculate that someone set fire to something such as paper and tossed the burning item into the garage. It is hard to see where the fire started, he explained, because of the structural collapse and the way it burned.
Loudermilk said that another nearby house on First Avenue was set on fire between 8 and 9 a.m. on Easter Sunday.
"It was sunny and warm, but there were no witnesses," he said. "This house was vacant, but the house next door has a bedridden person inside, and if the fire had spread there, that person could have died."
A resident of the neighborhood told the Tribune-Star that he is getting nervous about staying in there. A junk couch discarded against his fence was set on fire when there was still snow on the ground, he said. That fire damaged his wooden fence.
In the 2400 block of First Avenue, a house was damaged by two intentionally set fires. Loudermilk said that the first fire was set by someone who kicked in a rear door of the vacant home and set fire in a basement stairwell. That fire did not cause a lot of damage, but the second fire about a month ago was started in the first floor of the home.
Loudermilk demonstrated how easy it would be for someone to start a fire when debris -- such as old books and papers -- is left inside an abandoned home.
"Someone walking down the alley can just kick in a door, grab a handful of paper, set it on fire and throw it back inside, then walk on down the street and watch the fire engines arrive," he said of a potential theory as to how and why someone might set a fire.
He said he has talked to several people in the neighborhood, and while he suspects the arsonist is a resident of the neighborhood, he cannot rule out that the suspect -- or suspects -- is simply passing through the area on the way to or from work, and is just looking for an opportunity to set a fire.
"I was at 17 different homes after the fire on Easter Sunday, trying to develop leads, but people were at a loss," he said.
What he suggests for local residents is that they keep an eye out and report any suspicious activity or people who might be trespassing.
"It could be a dog walker. It could be kids," he said. "But don't confront them yourself. Call us so we can talk to them."
Fisher also recommends that while there is no organized neighborhood watch in the area, the residents should watch out for each other and report any activity that seems out of place.
They can call 911 if it's suspicious, or call Crime Stoppers to give a tip, Fisher said.
The Crime Stoppers number is 812-238-7867.
Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.
Copyright 2014 - The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
