Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for September 14, 2007 BREAKING NEWS

House Fire in Cairo

By: Heartland News

The Cairo Police Department confirms at least two departments are fighting a house fire in Cairo, Illinois.

Witnesses say the fire's burning a home on Poplar Street that's behind Shemwell's Barbecue.

No word on the extent of the damage yet, but one witness does say it's "pretty big."

Investigators haven't said what caused it, nor if anyone's been hurt.

Firefighters had to put out a house fire on 12th Street earlier this week, but no word if that fire is related to the one on Poplar Street.

We'll bring you more information on as it comes into our newsroom.

Four Fires in One Week Called "Suspicious"

By: Carly O'keefe

CAIRO, Il. -- Fire investigators have their hands full in Cairo, Illinois. They are trying to figure what and who caused four suspicious fires in less than a week.

Saturday afternoon, Illinois State Fire Marshal Arson Investigators sifted through what's left of a home on 11th Street in Cairo, Illinois. They took photographs and brought in a canine to sniff out the cause of the fire. It was only one of four arson investigations launched in Cairo in the past week.

"It really makes you wonder what's really going on in Cairo right now," said Cairo resident Ron Garrett.

Garrett lives on 12th Street, just down the road from a home that caught fire on Wednesday. The Friday afternoon fire on 11th Street practically backs up to his back yard.

"It's really scary because it's awfully close to my house now," said Garrett.

Mary Hafford lives on Union Street, less than a block from a house that burnt last Saturday morning. She watched as firefighters battled the blaze.

"They fought it until about 4:00 in the morning. It started at about 1:30 a.m. It's getting really scary because now they're setting them all over town, and you just never know, these old houses go up like timber," said Hafford.

While investigators search for clues, some residents plan to keep a watchful eye on their neighborhoods.

"We haven't been sleeping quiet lately. Somebody's always up walking the street here for the past couple days, it'll probably be that way until they catch whoever's doing it," said Garrett.

One home was occupied, three of the homes were not, and fire officials say utilities had not been running to any of the unoccupied homes for at least a few months. Investigators say they're not sure at this time whether all four fires are related.