Vacant house arsons drop for third straight year in Youngstown

January 23, 2015 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The number of vacant- house fires has dropped in the city for the third straight year.

Statistics provided by the fire department’s Fire Investigation Unit show Youngstown recorded 98 arsons at vacant houses in 2014, a drop from 112 in 2013. In 2012, the city recorded 162 fires at vacant homes.

Capt. Alvin Ware, who heads the FIU, said the main reason for the decrease is because the city has become much more aggressive in recent years in getting rid of vacant homes.

“Council and the administration are getting more demolition done,” Ware said. “That’s the main reason.”

Vindicator files show that in the last few years more than 3,500 homes in the city have been razed through demolition.

Ware said the highest concentration of arsons last year was on the South Side, which has been true for previous years. He said the East Side used to have a lot of house arsons, but those fires have died down in recent years as the vacant houses have been torn down. Ware said this denies arsonists an opportunity.

Statistics show there were 43 arsons on the South Side in 2014, with 36 on the East Side, 17 on the North Side and two on the West Side.

Ware said because of the circumstances surrounding most arsons, it is a hard crime to prosecute.

“They always happen in the dark, and there’s usually no one around,” Ware said.

June, July and August were the busiest months for vacant-house arsons, with 16, 12 and 11 respectively. January had the fewest — only one, and that was Jan. 31.

Ware said one category that dropped dramatically was vehicle arsons, as the department handled 33 in 2014. He said most vehicle arsons involve stolen vehicles, but now, because of new anti-theft devices, vehicles are harder to steal.

Typically a stolen car is stripped for parts and then burned to destroy any evidence.

Also, in the past, the city was plagued by serial arsonists, who were lured by the number of vacant homes in the city. Ware said he has not had a serial arsonist case in several years.