Foreclosures In Fresno Area Prime Targets For Arson And Vandalism – II

Arson and vandalism are fast becoming the order of the day in Fresno at foreclosed properties. Recently, one of two cases took place in the district of Mayfair and the other took place a little northward of Fashion Fair.

Both events took place when a small group of teens gained entry into the houses, and someone from the group decided to play with fire. North of Fashion Fair, the incident took place when the group of teenagers decided to use the fireplace. However, books and magazines which had been burned on the tile floors were also found on the top of the counter and the stove.

Things were much worse at the Mayfair District house. The fire caused the big hole in a large section of the living-room carpet, and smoke caused a lot of damage which can be seen on many of the outside windows.

Deputy Fire Marshal Don MacAlpine says “They got lucky because the situation both times is exactly what happened at the University Village fire (which caused $14 million in damages). A kid was a little too fascinated with fire, and started playing. In both of these cases, the damage was minor and no one was injured.”

According to MacAlpine, his department is working closely with Fresno County Sheriff investigators and police. So, it seems that fire officials are not the only department that is investigating these fires or keeping a watch on empty houses.

Spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Chris Curtice, says that his department is working with neighbors who look for signs of vandalism, trespassing and other crimes. He added that “Homeowners generally report suspicious activity in and around vacant homes as they have a vested interest in their neighbourhoods”.

These empty houses are also being watched and patrolled by Patrol deputies, especially those who are most familiar with the area, Curtice added. They had many methods of dealing with theft and vandalism, from criminal or civil cases, or simply requesting the homeowner to be more responsible about his property.

According to MacAlpine, parents can play in important role, in more ways than one, which may surprise some people. MacAlpine said that investigators had heard a few parents say they thought it was OK for their children to play with fire as long as they were being supervised.

“The problem is that later those are the same kids who develop a love of fire and become serial arsonists. I’ve seen 13-year-olds who already have a favorite igniting device. These arsons we’ve seen lately happened with kids just like that. Fire is not a toy.” He said.

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