5 cars burned in 45 minutes...in my neighborhood!

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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2348801

Jan. 12, 2004, 12:16PM

More autos near downtown go up in flames today
By MIKE GLENN

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle


A rash of suspected arsons near downtown this morning may be a continuation of a spree that damaged five cars and an apartment complex in the Montrose area Sunday morning, officials said.

Houston firefighters have responded to car fires so far today in the 3300 block of Jackson, the 3100 block of LaBranch, and Chenevert at Francis and at Stuart.

HFD Inspector Javier Rodriguez said arson investigators are at the scenes of all the fires. No structures have been involved in any of the suspicious blazes so far, and no injuries have been reported.

Between 12:30 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. Sunday, five automobiles went up in flames in a 20- to 25-block section of Montrose. One of those fires spread to an apartment complex in the 400 block of Colquitt, spawning a three-alarm fire.

James Rippie, a resident of the Georgian Square Apartments, was one of those burned out of his home over the weekend.

"It looks like a war zone out here," said Rippie. "I hope they find out who did it. They put a lot of people's lives at risk."

The Georgian Square fire was ignited shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday when flames from an apparently torched Honda Accord shot up a brick wall and slipped into the building's attic.

Rippie, wrapped in a blanket to ward off the early-morning chill as the fire crews battled the blaze, motioned toward the parking area as he described the outbreak.

Debbie Simon, whose home is directly above the complex's parking area, ran outside when a neighbor banged on her front door, warning of the fast-moving fire.

"I lost everything. It's all gone," she said, taking a break from picking through her belongings to see what could be salvaged. "I have no clothes except the clothes on my back."
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BTW, I saw the apartment building late Sat night that went up in flames. I almost lived there. Fire trucks all around...

A serial arsonist is loose around here.

What would you do if this was your neighborhood?

I'm glad I have my BOB packed. And an AR-15 loaded.
 
If I caught someone in the act of trying to set fire to a dwelling where I could reasonably expect there to be people inside, I would feel justified in using lethal force to stop the arsonist if necessary.
 
not suprised....

Expect to see more of this kind of thing, not less, excepting if there is a major turnabout in this country leading to the closing of our borders to illegals, effective apprehension and prosecution of real criminals, and full reinstitution of a person's right to defend him/herself and property. Oh yeah, it would help a lot if we steered clear of godless, hedonistic communism/socialism; and traditional values like bravery, honor and responsibility make a comeback.
 
... if there is a major turnabout in this country leading to the closing of our borders to illegals, effective apprehension and prosecution of real criminals, and full reinstitution of a person's right to defend him/herself and property. Oh yeah, it would help a lot if we steered clear of godless, hedonistic communism/socialism; and traditional values like bravery, honor and responsibility make a comeback.
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You dont ask for much, do you? :D
 
Expect to see more of this kind of thing, not less, excepting if there is a major turnabout in this country
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Societal breakdown? Sure. I see it at work everyday. Lack of morals, lack of family values, lack of respect and responsibility to the community. Increased, not decreased, segregation between peoples. Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer. Government becoming more controlling and restrictive rather than enforcing current laws properly.

Yeah, it's happening.
 
R127 & aroshi...

I am absolutely not familiar with the area or circumstances. Is there a reason to think this is the work of the front man for the apocolypse or is it just some nutjob acting out whatever delusion he/she/them/it sees fit to follow? Doesn't quite sound like the breakdown of society just yet. We've seen alot worse after a controversial court ruling or basketball series.
 
Who said the end of the world?

I'm not talking about the breakdown of society, I'm not talking Mad Max. If you want to talk about the Apocolypse, go find a priest/preacher/Prophet. I am saying that there are issues in this country and others that are contributing to the overall levels of crime and just plain unpleasant, rude behavior. The fact that you see worse after a controversial basketball game is exactly what I'm talking about. If that's all you've ever known then I can see how that would appear to just be regular everyday human life, but it isn't. I think I read here, or somewhere, not too long ago about sometimes how a culture can just get sick and it has to either find a way to makes itself healthier or run its course before anything can get better. I'm not sure I could explain it any better than that post did.

Yeah, some people have no other point of reference to tell if something isn't quite right, some people like it when things are wrong, still others have to convince themselves everything is in a particular order or they get really stressed out. It seems everything in this world is kind of caught in a game of tug-of-war between two opposite forces, usually it balances out but sometimes it pulls one way, sometimes it pulls the other. That's just the way she goes. Heck, the scientists say there's simultaneously forces that are pulling out atoms apart and holding them together, strong and weak force, I think they call them. I'm not trying to wax too philosophical here, just trying to make a point. I don't like the direction things have swung, I'm ready for a change.
 
I don't think there is anything you can "do" per se. I'm only a couple 8-10 miles away myself (Chimney Rock area), and haven't done anything different. I still watch strangers in the area if they catch my eye, and I park my truck in an area so that I can see it from the house. Other then that, I don't think you can do much else. I won't be sitting up all night to make sure someone doesn't burn my truck or condo down, I figure insurance will take care of most everything if something does happen.
 
When i lived in DC we had several car torchings in one summer in my neighborhood

they would breakin
take the VIN tag
Burn the vehicle
await the VIN to be declared destroyed by the Insurance companies
Afix the stolen VIN on another similar vehicle

Sell the vehicle
 
Are they targeting certain types of cars. I read somewhere that there are enviromental terrorists in the NW that target larger vehicles and sometimes even go after dealerships.
 
Is it any wonder why I turned down the offer to move down there? My in-laws moved to Pearland last year and we (wife, son and I) visit once a year. All I saw on the news there was crime. "Great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there" is very true. They asked if we'd like to move there...pass!:neener:
 
[sarcasm]It's a horrible place![/sarcasm]

The reality is, that when you live in a big city, bad stuff happens with a higher propensity then it does in the country. In this case the city of Houston has a little over 600,000 more people more then the entire State of Maine. :cool:
 
...seems to me that when I was taking my CHL class it was discussed that it is acceptable to shoot an arsonist in the act of setting a fire.

Just a little lagniappe.


Regards,
Rabbit.
 
They could burn my car for all I care. I could use the insurance money.

I wouldn't shoot someone setting fire to a car, but I'd get their description and call the police right away.

The real danger is when the burning car is underneath a garage apartment.
 
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