Arson’s light up Walkerville

By Mandy Matthews

A recent string of arson’s has neighbours waking up to the booming sounds of sirens far too often.

When Tina, who did not provide a last name, took her daily walk down Louis Ave., she was not surprised to see police cars and firemen.

She looked side to side while shuffling along the sidewalk, shielding herself from the rain. First, inspecting the vehicles, then frantically looking for a reason to their presence. She raises her fragile hand to her mouth once she sees one of her neighbours’ garage has been burnt to a crisp with the vehicle still inside.

Within the last month, seven intentionally set fires have caused a disturbance in the area of Walkerville. So much so, that Windsor Police Chief Al Frederick is enforcing what he calls a target squad within the arson unit to investigate these fires.

“Anytime there’s fire, there’s potential for injury and of course property loss,” said Chief Frederick in a press conference held Nov. 14. “The risk to our community is great anytime there’s an arson, especially; that’s something that can be avoided. So, it’s something we’re taking special consideration in our investigation to get some positive results.”

The police have reported property crime to be down by three per cent from last year at this time. Chief Frederick assures this trend is just a spike and confirms the number of arson’s to be down from last year.

However, Tina suspects crime will continue in her neighbourhood. She has lived in her home for over 40 years. She recalls an incident where someone was murdered in the area.

“Around here, it’s not really a good area anymore. It used to be beautiful,” said Tina. “I have to protect myself because I live alone and maybe I’ll be next.”

The first of seven came bursting out of a gazebo that was set ablaze on Langlois Ave. on Oct. 19.

It managed to stay quiet for a few days until the midnight hour struck on Oct. 24. Three fires were constructed within an hour and a half and have been deemed to be related. Someone lit up two mattresses and a chair within blocks of each other between Gladstone Ave. and Marion Ave.

In all of the incidents debris has been the target of interest, making these “nuisance” fires, according to Fire Chief Prevention Officer Lee Tome.

“For whatever reason, people feel the need to ignite those combustibles against the buildings,” said Tome. “They can be easily be prevented by not storing those combustibles against the building.”

Another, unrelated, mattress fire started up on the same day as the others. However, it happened several hours later on Wyandotte St. E. Police have not connected the two incidents.

One of the abandoned houses owned by the Ambassador Bridge Company on Indian Road went up in flames after someone broke in and intentionally set a fire on the third floor on Oct. 28.

Devils night rang true for two families when an arsonist(s) torched both detached garages, again, within blocks of each other. The first, on Parent Ave., was called in around 3:15 a.m. on Halloween. The second, just houses down from Tina, blackened the morning sky two hours later.

Frederick said the new target team will be revisiting every part of each case to develop any clues.

“We are taking a real watchful eye over forensic evidence that may have been left behind at the scene,” said Frederick.

No injuries were reported during any of the fires. No suspects have been identified, but Frederick said they do have persons of interest in mind.

“The key message to the community in that regard is, you don’t know what suspicious activity is , so if you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to call us because we’ll investigate every tip that we get without question,” said Frederick.