A blighted home that was set on fire recently on Patterson Street in Macon.

A blighted home that was set on fire recently on Patterson Street in Macon. / GPB

A string of 32 arsons that began in January in Macon-Bibb County has almost doubled the pace of firefighting in the county.

There were 11 arsons in April alone. Macon-Bibb County Fire Chief Marvin Riggins says in a typical month, firefighters here tackle five or six serious, fully involved house fires. 

Two houses burned within a few blocks of each other over the weekend. For one house graffitied with the words "792 Blight St." it was the second set fire in as many years. It joined three other burned out homes in the same block, also arsons. Fire Chief Marvin Riggins said the other fires across the city follow a similar pattern.

"A lot of them are blighted properties and vacant structures," Riggins said. "Some of them boarded up, secured by the property owners and some are not."

The exception was the home of a family of five on Second Street who were there when their was house as set on fire. Chief Riggins says investigators have people of interest they would like to talk to but still ask for the public’s help in finding those responsible for the fires. Anyone with information about the fires should call 1-800-282-5804

 

Tags: arson  fire  Crime  Georgia  Macon