There were a total of five different fires in the city this past weekend. For Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes that is five too many.
Most of the fires burned abandoned structures.
Addressing City Director of Community Improvement Joe Lewis in Tuesday night’s City Council Meeting, Stokes asked, “What’s going on with all these fires?” “Do we have a fire bug or what? We need to do something to send some type of message that we are not going to tolerate this,” he said. He told Lewis that it seems that before Community Improvement can a demolish a burned house, another fire occurs somewhere else in the city.
A quiet Saturday afternoon turned into a busy Saturday afternoon for Jackson’s firefighters. Five units consisting of 21 firefighters reported around 1:30 p.m. to a house fire on Riggins Alley. The fire badly damaged two other houses, one of which ignited, but was soon extinguished. The only thing left of the first house was charred frames.
Initially, muddy water spurted from a few fire hoses. “See, we’ve been telling them about the water pressure down here,” an onlooker said. “It looks like diseased water.”
One woman, who refused to give her name, said she believe the fires are drug related.
Lewis told The Mississippi Link that Riggins Alley is known as a “hot spot.” “The majority of those houses are abandoned. I think there may be one resident legally occupying one of them. He said the alley is also called “The Dungeon.” “I fought very hard to get those house torn down, but I was met with strong opposition from Jackson Historic Preservation.” The area is in the historic Farish Street District. He said the City Council can override the preservation’s objection, but there is Catch 22 situation involved in the process.
According to Gregory Travis, chief fire investigator of the Arson Divison, no one was hurt in the Riggins Alley fires. He thinks vagrants are going in these houses and starting fires to keep warm during cold temperatures. “What we’re doing is urging owners of vacant properties to make sure they are secured well enough so people won’t go in them,” he said. “Board them up.”
Other councilpersons voicing fire concerns Tuesday included Marshand Crisler and Charles Tillman. Councilwoman Margaret Barrett Simon’s was absent but she questioned the frequent fires at a prior meeting. At that meeting, she asked Fire Chief Vernon Hughes about the cause of the two fires on Oakley Street. Hughes told her that one was arson, and the other, “individuals trying to keep warm.”
Simultaneously with the Riggins Alley fire Saturday, units were called to another fire on Ventura Drive in South Jackson. According to Travis, it was an occupied dwelling, but everyone got out safely. The cause of that fire is under investigation as well.
Generally fires increase during the winter months, Travis explained. He encourages the public to be “very cautious” with space heaters, especially when small children are present. He also reminds citizens to be “mindful” of wearing flowing, combustible clothing around space heaters and stove burners. He said they should avoid using spliced supply cords with electric heaters.
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