By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Police say two fires in Union Grove that broke out shortly after 3 a.m. Feb. 17 are suspicious in nature.
Damage to the two structures – a home in the 800 block of 12th Avenue and a garage behind it in the 100 block of New Street – is estimated to be in the thousands of dollars, said Lt. Steve Sikora, of the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
On Feb. 17, at 3:21 a.m., the county’s Communications Center received a call reporting smoke in the basement and fire alarms going off in the 12th Avenue resident. Deputies arrived on scene and reported they saw no active flames, but that the house was filled with smoke.
Six minutes later, at 3:27 a.m., deputies spotted a nearby active garage fire, with vehicles in the garage, on New Street.
Occupants at both addresses were safely removed with no reported injuries.
Responding fire department units arrived on scene and worked at containing the fires. At about 4 a.m., the garage fire was deemed to be under control. At 4:24 a.m., Fire Command advised that the residence fire was under control.
Meanwhile, the late night incidents have made some neighbors jittery, with a few coming outside to share their concerns about the suspicious activity in their neighborhood with TV news crews that covered the Feb. 17 fire.
As of press time Wednesday, the fires continue to be under investigation by the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, said Sikora.
-
-
-
-
-