Police say a Tuesday morning fire may be the work of a serial arsonist targeting a Central Ohio neighborhood.
In the last four months, police said, nearly two dozen fires have been intentionally set on the city's west side, NBC 4 's Duarte Geraldino reported.
"A lot of times when I see them, the first thing I think about is my house, because I ... have a small child," said Dallas Correy, a resident. "It could be my house, too. My wife and daughter are there and I am at work, and I don't get off until 9."
Investigators said the fires are usually started late at night or in the early-morning hours. Most of them have been set in Dumpsters near vacant houses, and in cars.
"Nobody's been hurt yet. Like I said, we started out with a lot of auto fires, a lot of Dumpster (fires), some vacants, but now the other night, they went ahead and torched a structure that had people in it, and it changes the story completely," said Battalion Chief Doug Smith, of the Columbus Division of Fire.
Investigators encourage residents to keep Dumpsters at least 6 feet away from homes.
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