Columbus Fire Chief says recent house fires were not accidental

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The old saying goes: “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

And there’s been a lot of both around the Friendly City in the past few days.

The fires are still under investigation, and it’s believed that at least some of them may have been intentionally set.

Three fires in three days, two of those fires ignited in abandoned homes.

Columbus Fire Chief Duane Hughes said this isn’t normal for the Friendly City.

“Columbus has experienced a rash of fires in abandoned structures. To have that number, it is an unusually high number for the city of Columbus. We are investigating and unfortunately, there does seem to be a trend with some connecting factors between these fires,” said Hughes.

The evidence led fire officials to suspect arson in those cases.

“Each of the structures has been abandoned. The cause and area of origin have been determined not to be accidental. These abandoned structures in Columbus are routinely used as havens for illicit crime. They’re also used as hangouts for drug use. There’s a definite strong correlation between the rise in fires in the abandoned structures and the rise of criminal activity,” said Hughes.

Hughes said awareness is the first line of defense against criminals starting fires.

“If you see something. Say something. If you see someone in a property that you know to be abandoned and you’re seeing activity there that’s not related to the property owner, you need to report that,” said Hughes.

So far, Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry has declined to comment on any investigation into the fires.

The city of Columbus has a dilapidated housing program that includes demolition by Public Works and also allows controlled burnings for live fire training by Columbus Fire and Rescue.

“On average, we burn 10-12 homes a year. I can’t speak on how many Public Works demolishes. But as you can see, there still is a problem,” said Hughes.

Hughes said the city government is in strong support of establishing the Columbus Environmental Court.

That court would be tasked with addressing blight and other issues plaguing the city.

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