Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for May 6, 2008 MORE FIRES IN CAIRO

Suspicious Weekend Fires in Cairo

By: Arnold Wyrick

CAIRO, Ill. - Investigators search through the rubble at the scene of two suspicious fires Monday in Cairo.

These fires bring back memories of the same sort of thing. Last year there were a couple of suspicious house fires. In February, there was a fire at the Jr./Sr. High School in Cairo that is still unsolved.

Folks in the neighborhood of this weekend's fires say for the most part Cairo is a pretty quiet place to live.

"There's been a lot of fires going on around town with these abandoned houses," said Shawnya Williams of Cairo.

The most recent fires were at two abandoned homes on 24th street. Firefighters got a call shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday alerting them about the blaze.

"It was kind of strange because you could see the burst of flames and the smoke all the way down to the other end of town," said Williams.

That was right next door to Williams' house.

"My children were in there sleeping and my daughter was so terrified. She didn't know what to do because she could see the flames jumping on top of the house."

Shawnya Williams grabbed clothes for her four kids and tried to wake her grandmother up to get everyone out of their home.

"In the middle of the night she didn't hear me calling when I first found out about the fire. She happened to wake up on her own instinct because she smelled the smoke. Just to think if she was still in there sleeping and the flames jumped over this way then it'd be done," Williams said.

The Williams' family aren't the only ones who ran for their lives when an empty house in Cairo went up in flames. Shane Harmon tells about two months ago when flames shot out of a house next door.

"It's worrisome because especially the one right next to us. We were worried," Shane Harma said. "So we evacuated the house just to make sure and luckily and thank God nothing happened."

With so many abandoned homes in Cairo, Harma feels it's only a matter of time before someone could get hurt.

"This person who started this fire hasn't been caught; he'll strike again. The question is what house," Harma said.

There has been no arrests or suspects identified in the weekend fires. Both homes had been empty for years with no utilities running to the homes, so both are considered suspicious. The state fire marshall's office heads up the investigation in the weekend fires.

Suspicious Fires in Cairo

Reported by: Noah Bond

Two suspicious house fires in southern Illinois are pushing a city to wonder if it will face another round of arsons. The homes caught fire on May 4th around 10:00 p.m. in Cairo. Neighbors and fire crews suspect arson, because both were abandoned.

As Wylie Allred watched the nearly 70 foot flames reach near his home, he felt intense heat. "It's scary. It's scary. It makes you want to put up your smoke detectors if you don't have them," Allred said.

The fire melted the siding on a home next door. All that's left of the two homes on the 600 block of 21st street, is a pile of smoldering rubble, charred stairs, and a blackened refrigerator.

Locals in Cairo are asking themselves, could this be another arson? Last fall, fire crews put out at least eight suspicious fires in about one month. Investigators discovered arson started three of those fires. Also, last February, a burning couch fire spread in Cairo High School. The damage was so bad classes were cancelled.

This weekend's fires bring back the same old worries. "You're always wondering if theres goanna be more, or is somebody goanna start going to houses that are lived in, and its scary," Allred said.

While no one lived in the two homes that burned down, neighbors don't understand how they could catch fire on their own.

Until fire investigators find solid answers, neighbors admit they'll wonder if their street or home could be next. If you have information that could lead detectives to a suspect, call the arson hotline 1-800-252-2947.

From the May 8th Cairo Citizen...

---