Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for September 10, 2007 CAIRO ARSONS, BURGLARY

Neighbors On Edge About Arsons, Burglary

Julie Smallheer, NewsChannel 6

Cairo, Illinois, firefighters responded to a fire Saturday at an abandoned house on Elm Street. While they were there the firefighter's home got broken into and a paramedic radio was stolen. Then early Sunday another vacant home on Union Street was torched.

Investigators say the crimes could be connected.

There's not much left of the two homes that were burned this weekend in Cairo, Illinois. Some neighbors in the area say they can't believe this happened twice in the same weekend.

"It's scary...it really is scary," said Ashley Thomas.

Thomas lives two doors down from one of the houses and after this weekend she says she has an uneasy feeling.

"It's scary because it's the city that's being targeted and we're living in the city so of course we're going to fall victim to whatever happens," Thomas said.

Thomas woke up late Saturday night when Cairo firefighters banged on her door and told her to get out in case the fire spread. She says couldn't believe what was happening in her normally quiet neighborhood.

"I was in shock. It was like something from a movie at first, plus I was worried because I didn't know how far or close it was to my house, and my car's right here. It could have blown up my gas tank. Anything could have happened, so I was afraid," said Thomas.

George Houston has lived in this Cairo neighborhood for years. He's bothered that someone would torch two homes.

"It worries me that somebody would set a fire as close as these houses are it wouldn't take much to burn the whole block up," Houston says.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fires, and the burglary. And the locals all agree on one thing.

"I hope they catch whoever it is that's setting them," says Houston.

Cairo Fire Chief John Meyer says they do have suspects and they are questioning people in connection with the arson and the burglary.