Update: No one was ever charged for the arsons, though some persons of interest were identified. Other houses were destroyed by arson in the years after this spate in 2013.
There’s been some amazing rehabbing going on in the blocks north of Cherokee Street in Benton Park.
Someone, however, has begun to set fire in vacant houses, which has now gutted at least four buildings.
The second picture and the one below were the most recent victims on Friday night, an hour apart.
This beautiful house, which would have fetched top dollar in Benton Park, was being torn down the day I went by, apparently because of the severe damage caused by the fire.
If you know anything about why these fires are happening, please let me know.
Sad, but…Holy crap, that house at the top: isn’t that the one which had a failed foundation, and was practically falling down? If so, that is an amazing transformation.
Re: fires. I wonder what the motivation is on these fires. Just some bored pyro with a gallon of gasoline, or a disaffected “rebel” who also sees the “amazing” rehabbing, and wants to kill as many opportunities for rehabbing as possible? Or maybe a combination of the latter, and someone hired by, or sympathetic to, the demo douches who take um, ahem, advantage of these arson fires? Reminds me of what happens on the North Side, and what happened in the Tiffany neighborhood before the wholesale clearance of those blocks.