Police and fire officials are looking into a string of unexplained fires at abandoned homes in Augusta, and they are asking for the public’s help in case an arsonist may be responsible, according to news reports.
Augusta Fire Chief Christopher James said he doesn't know of an exact cause for the fires, but was alarmed by the frequency and proximity to Old Savannah Road and Sherman Street, where five structures have burned to the ground in the last 80 days, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
“For 80 days to have five structure fires within a block, it is a significant thing,” James told the Chronicle on Tuesday. “I thought it was important we brought it to your attention because it does need to be addressed. Most blocks don’t see that amount of fires in that short amount of times.”
The Chronicle reported the first fire was Dec. 7 in the 1600 block of Old Savannah Road, and since then there have been four others, all nearby. Three of the blazes remain under investigation.
Besides being in the same vicinity, the fires were only connected otherwise by time of day, which officials said occurred either late or early.
“At this point, we are not 100% sure it is intentional fires or not,” James said, according to the Chronicle. “We are not saying that someone is setting fires, other than they may be setting fires to stay warm. We don’t have any reason why we think anyone is setting a fire other than that.”
James said he has reached out to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to begin patrolling the area and has talked to Code Enforcement about potentially reaching the homeowners.
Neighbors in the area say they have been concerned about the flames spreading to other occupied dwellings but otherwise called the area "a forgotten neighborhood." One person told the Chronicle that some of the destroyed homes “should have been torn down years ago.”
— This is a developing story. Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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