PITTSBURGH -- A community converged Tuesday night to address a series of arsons in Pittsburgh's Sheraden neighborhood. Residents told city officials they fear that their home may be the next target of an arsonist.
Pittsburgh Councilwoman Theresa Smith, Public Safety Director Mike Huss, Fire Chief Darryl Jones and a number of police investigators met with about 150 residents at 7 p.m. at the Sheraden Senior Center to give them a chance to meet with public safety officials to try to develop a plan to deal with the arsons.
Police still don't have any suspects in eight arsons, which started June 6 and have damaged several homes and destroyed a garage. The arsons damaged at least five houses, two of which were occupied at the time of the fires.
No one was reported injured in the incidents, but that may only have resulted as a matter of good fortune. Put more directly, the occupants were lucky to escape with their lives -- running out into the night -- after being alerted by a smoke detector.
"We're dealing with no less than urban terrorism," said Tre Poole, of Sheraden.
Some residents said they believe the arsonists live among them, and they had questions as to how to identify them.
"What (are) some of the telltale signs that the neighbors or the people of the community could tell of arson?" Sheraden resident Donald Walden asked authorities.
City officials said, unfortunately, there are no telltale signs that someone is an arsonist, but the residents did learn investigators likely are looking for at least two people setting the fires.
"We feel that this isn't one person setting all these fires. We think that this is a couple different separate incidents that just happen to be going on all at the same time in the last month," said Pittsburgh police Detective Mike Burns, an arson investigator.
Residents said it's time they all started looking out for each other.
"I'm not asking everybody to go over to each other's house and eat cookies and cake and stuff like that, but we need to become a hood of neighbors again," Poole said.
Some residents said they think other vacant houses may become new arson targets, which has prompted the city to tear those structures down -- 16 of them -- beginning Wednesday.
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