We talk a lot in this space about regular citizens being the eyes and ears for police. The same goes for public assistance to firefighters.
Especially when there is arson going on.
City Fire Chief C. Dean Heinbach has declared four fires in the city's Newberry section in the past week to be arson.
And one of the victims of the arson said Monday that he thinks the arsonists wants to do more than damages porches, sheds and campers.
"This guy wants to get human life," Don Whitford said after a set fire spread from his porch to his house.
Arsons are hard to prove and even harder to prevent. The best thing investigators have going for them, besides hard physical evidence, is eyewitness evidence of suspicious activity.
The city's Arson Hotline is 327-7575. Please use that number if you see anything that you think might help investigators.
It's one thing to lose porches and sheds. It's quite another matter to lose homes and even human life through such despicable activity.
Hopefully, with the citizenry and fire investigators working together, the problem can be solved before there are more serious tragedies.
