Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for September 18, 2007 CAIRO FIRES

Cairo fire department battles 7 fires in 8 days

Cairo, Ill., fire chief John Meyer discussed the recent fires in Cairo while standing Monday in front of the burned-out Beyond the Bay Bar & Grill in Future City, Ill. (Fred Lynch)

This house at 736 33rd St. in Cairo, Ill. is one of several houses that have burned in the city recently. (Fred Lynch)

This house on Poplar Street in Cairo, Ill. is one of several houses that have burned recently in which arson is suspected. (Fred Lynch)

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

Cairo, Ill. -- The Cairo Fire Department spent the last 30 hours investigating seven "suspicious" fires that broke out in and around Cairo over the course of the past eight days, said Cairo fire chief John Meyer. The most recent fire occurred Sunday around 9:45 p.m. at Beyond the Bay Bar and Grill on U.S. 51 in Future City, Ill.

Firefighters were at the scene of another fire at an unoccupied house at 736 33rd St., when they received a call that the bar was ablaze.

The building suffered major damage, Meyer said.

By the time bar owner George Moss, of Cairo, learned about the the fire, it was after midnight.

Firefighters had already put out the flames by the time he arrived at the scene, he said.

While firefighters kept Moss from entering the building, he said he was able to peek inside the doorway and assess the damage.

"It looked like a total loss," Moss said.

While they were putting out the fire at Beyond the Bay, firefighters had to return to the scene of the 33rd Street house fire, because the flames rekindled after they had been extinguished, Meyer said.

A third fire, at a car parked in the 500 block of 33rd Street, also occurred Sunday night.

Meyer said he was unable to assess the damage of the car fire because he hadn't been to the scene yet.

Four more houses in Cairo, all within several blocks of one another, have caught fire since Sept. 8.

The Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office is currently investigating the string of blazes, but they have all been declared suspicious, Meyer said.

Meyer declined to comment on whether it appeared accelerants had been used, but remarked that the points of origin of each fire seemed to be at a different area of each of the seven sites.

Only the fire that started at a house in the 200 block of 12th Street began when the building was occupied, but everyone got out safely, Meyer said.

Just around the corner, a fire on Sept. 14 devastated an empty two-story house on the 1100 block of Poplar Street.

The other house fires occurred at the corner of Union and Elm streets and at an unoccupied house in the 3500 block of Elm Street.

Both structures suffered major damages to the interior and exterior.

Cairo Experiences 7 Fires in 8 days

By: Emily Eddington

CAIRO -- Many people in Cairo are concerned after a string of seven fires in the past eight days. Fire officials refer to them as "suspicious."

Whatever the true cause may be, Cairo Mayor Judson Childs says area law enforcement will be stepping up patrols, looking out for suspicious behavior street by street.

Poplar Street, Union Street, 12th Street, Park Avenue... that's just the beginning of a list of many Cairo streets where you're bound to find buildings' charred remains. Neighbors say it's a bit too close for comfort.

"Just the fire next to us has kind of worried us," says Dollie Achenbach of Cairo, "We knew fires were going on in Cairo but we didn't know it was going to be as close as it is so we're kind of scared."

Dollie's not the only neighbor voicing concerns; Louisa Billingslsy can't remember anything like this in her 54 years in Cairo.

"I looked up and I could see the reflection in a picture in my room so I came out here to see, but there were no fire trucks yet. But then they all started coming," says Billingsley.

But are sights like these-- right across the street-- enough to make them leave? Billingsley says this is her home and it will continue to be.

Mayor Judson Childs says these suspicious fires are a cause for concern, but not panic. "It could happen anywhere- it just happened here and it's just one more hurdle we'll have to cross," says Childs.

And one more building the state fire marshal will sift through, searching for clues as to what's causing the fires. Mayor Childs says if someone intentionally set them, they will face the consequences.

"Once we find out who it is they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law," Childs says.

Mayor Childs says an electrical problem is to blame for one of the fires. He also says he's grateful for area fire departments that have stepped in to help battle the blazes.

Patrols Up After Several Suspicious Fires in Cairo

Reported by: Noah Bond

A Southern Illinois neighborhood is on alert after seven fires in eight days. Five houses, a restaurant, and a car; caught fire in Cairo, Illinois. Investigators say all of the fires are suspicious.

Someone torched Beyond the Bay Bar and Grill on highway 51, and a house on 33rd Street, and a car on fire September 16th and the week before, firefighters responded to four house fires.

These fires are putting neighbors like Jerry Morgan on edge. When he came home from work, September 17th morning, he found yellow police line around a charred car near his home. "It's bad because my step brothers in the house and it could have got in the house while he was upstairs sleeping," he says.

The car fire is the 7th suspicious fire in the last 8 days, along with the charred remains, 6 blackened buildings line Cairo Streets.

Cairo Police are hoping to put a stop to the senseless destruction, with more patrols at night, but they're not talking about how many patrols there'll be, or where they'll go. "It's good the police to step it up a notch, but I think its goanna take more. Hopefully if this doesn't work they have a plan B," says Worried Cairo Neighbor, Ashley Thomas.

Until the person or group is caught, word on the street is to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. "I'm worried about the people who live in the houses, and you know I'm afraid someone will be hurt," Thomas continues.

Three of the fires have been ruled arson. Police do not have any suspects at this time. However, Joanne Vanderwerf,a private citizen, is offering a $1000 reward to anyone who offers a tip leading to a conviction. You can call the arson hotline at 1-800-252-2947.