Fires increase in area abandoned properties
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – There has been an uptick in fires in the area.
A lot of them have been abandoned homes or properties.
Earlier this week, a fire took place at an abandoned property on 17th avenue in North Columbus.
Often, when a house becomes vacant, squatters begin to inhabit that space.
Jaquay Sherrod, the PIO for Columbus Fire & Safety encourages property owners to do more frequent inspection.
“If they’re close here, going by, checking on them, making sure there’s no activity around them, and if not, board them up. Lock them up. Use durable locks. Board up the windows. Things of that nature is just a big step of keeping squatters out,” said Sherrod.
Sherrod also explained how many without a home seek shelter during a storm.
“A lot of the times, squatters, they come in. Like now, we’re experiencing a lot of severe weather, so, they try to get out the weather, or at night, they try to get out the coolness or something to that nature. A lot of times, it starts from things from just trying to keep warm,” said Sherrod.
Neighbors from the 900th block of 17th avenue say the house has been a disturbance to the community.
“Cause it’s a place where you can hide anything basically. Cause don’t nobody go in there to check it. Don’t nobody do nothing. You can do whatever you want in there and I’d say many people want it down because of that situation,” said a man in the neighborhood.
Originally, the house was supposed to be used for demolition training for fire fighters.
Please report if you see any suspicious activity.
