Vacant home fire similar to others

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Pattern of fires; Circumstances of blaze similar to many others in recent years

A suspicious fire similar to others in the downtown area caused minor damage to the porch of a vacant house on the city's West Side early Tuesday, the Charleston Fire Department said.

Three fire trucks and a battalion chief arrived at 2 Wesson Ave. at 1:51 a.m. to find the first-floor porch on fire, said Mark Ruppel, the department's public information officer. Crews extinguished the flames within a minute; damage was confined to the porch.

Arson investigators were looking into the fire's origin, Ruppel said.

Several similar fires have been reported this spring and summer, and others stretch back at least five years. In early July, a fire that started on a porch in the Elliotborough neighborhood left one man with serious burns and forced other people to jump from a second-floor window.

To read a previous story about the suspicious fires, go to Charleston.net.

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ryancourtney (anonymous) says...

this makes me sick to my stomach, i'm the man who had been burned in the previous fire in the elliotborough neighborhood... all i can say is whomever is responsible for this should know one thing... no matter how many fires you set, or people you hurt, your fate is in gods hands, and for these acts you will not be forgiven

August 27, 2008 at 3:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

oldglory (anonymous) says...

I'm so sorry for your injuries. What horrible injuries to suffer and endure for a demented person's behavior.
I surely hope the authorities are able to track him down soon.

Several years back, there was such a person in Washington, DC, and it took a few years for the authorities to figure out who it was. People who knew him, people who saw his picture, and his -steady- employer were unbelieving until the evidence was put forward. He looked like a nice (and they said he was), older man. Almost a grandfatherly type.

August 27, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

CaptPete (anonymous) says...

The Washington DC person placed flamable containers on porches. He was caught when the same type of plastic bag was used in several fires. The bag type was only used by one store in the DC area. The police staked out the store until the person was caught.

August 27, 2008 at 6:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

allisondeanlove (anonymous) says...

If anyone knows anything about these suspicious fires, you can report tips anonymously to the SC Arson Hotline at 1-800-92-ARSON. If your tip leads to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist, you stand to receive a sizable reward. You can call anytime and remain anonymous.

August 27, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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