Abandoned Houses Burning Up In Ensley
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: May 20, 2012
Birmingham firefighters have responded to six fires over the past two
days in the western part of the city, all are abandoned structures Fire
Marshall C.W.Mardis told us Friday three structures caught fire Thursday
night in Ensley. Three more caught fire early Saturday morning.
Neighbors are now worried it's the work of an arsonist.
"From the back the back window, you could see flames, it was an intense real life house fire, all the tenants got out. Eric Johnson and others evacuated their housing unit around five Saturday morning after this vacant home some how caught fire on Avenue S in Ensley. Flames spread next door to this house, but a lady inside made it out okay. "It was a situation where God spared us. The Birmingham Fire Department did a great job, but everyone is on edge and concerned around here."
That's because just a few blocks away, an abandoned unit on Terrace S caught fire a few hours earlier. In the last two days, five vacant houses in Ensley have gone up in flames. Many neighbors believe an arsonist is to blame. Rubin Wilson says "Ain't no power on, ain't no water on. There wasn't anyone living in the house, so somebody had to set it on fire."
The Birmingham Fire Department also responded to this abandoned apartment complex in Pratt City where multiple units burned.
in daylight, you can see the fire burned in several different spots. right now it's not known if any of these fire are connected. Residents say they're now looking out for one another. "I'm gonna keep my eyes open, but I thank God, he's got his hands on all of us.
The Fire Marshall says they're not ruling anything out at this point. Mardis says all the fires are still under investigation. If anyone has information call 250-7540.
"From the back the back window, you could see flames, it was an intense real life house fire, all the tenants got out. Eric Johnson and others evacuated their housing unit around five Saturday morning after this vacant home some how caught fire on Avenue S in Ensley. Flames spread next door to this house, but a lady inside made it out okay. "It was a situation where God spared us. The Birmingham Fire Department did a great job, but everyone is on edge and concerned around here."
That's because just a few blocks away, an abandoned unit on Terrace S caught fire a few hours earlier. In the last two days, five vacant houses in Ensley have gone up in flames. Many neighbors believe an arsonist is to blame. Rubin Wilson says "Ain't no power on, ain't no water on. There wasn't anyone living in the house, so somebody had to set it on fire."
The Birmingham Fire Department also responded to this abandoned apartment complex in Pratt City where multiple units burned.
in daylight, you can see the fire burned in several different spots. right now it's not known if any of these fire are connected. Residents say they're now looking out for one another. "I'm gonna keep my eyes open, but I thank God, he's got his hands on all of us.
The Fire Marshall says they're not ruling anything out at this point. Mardis says all the fires are still under investigation. If anyone has information call 250-7540.
