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Central Edmonton duplex fire latest in string of fires in area

Central Edmonton duplex fire latest in string of fires in area

People living in the Westmount and Inglewood neighbourhoods in Edmonton are worried they may have an arsonist in their midst after more than a dozen fires were reported in the area this year.

There have been more than 15 fires in the neighbourhood since December, police tell CBC News. Police have no evidence to suggest they are all linked, and only some have been deliberately set.

The latest fire happened Wednesday morning, when a partially-constructed duplex caught on fire just before 2 a.m. near 123rd Street and 117th Avenue.

In all, 42 firefighters battled the blaze but the building burned to the ground.

Homes on either side of the duplex were also badly damaged. Don Yanew, who owns the bungalow next door, said he was staying at his girlfriend's place when he received a call from a neighbour about the fire.

"It's pretty grim inside," Yanew said.

"At three or four in the morning, in the dark, it didn't look too bad. Now, in the light of day, it's a whole different story."

Yanew didn't think it was possible to salvage the house, which he has lived in for the past 24 years.

"I have a lot of good memories in that house."

The house on the other side of the construction site will likely see the same fate. The owner told CBC News that he had just sold his home to a group that helps house people with epilepsy.

The Edmonton Epilepsy Association intended to use the house as office space.

A third home sustained minor damage. Officials said five adults and two children were displaced by the fire.

Investigators are still looking for a cause but Yanew said he was told the duplex was not yet connected to gas or electricity.

More fires, more often

The frequency of fires in the two neighbourhoods is weighing heavily on residents.

"It doesn't lead to very peaceful sleep," said Michelle Merchant, who has lived in the area for nine years.

"A tree catches on fire — (or) your garbage, your fence — and it goes to your house."

For Merchant, the problem hits close to home. In the past month alone, she's had two fires on her property.

The first happened earlier this month, when someone set fire to a garbage can in the alleyway behind her home. The flames were on the verge of spreading to a nearby tree, but were spotted by a dog-walker who called the fire department.

The second fire was set earllier this week in a pile of garbage in the vacant lot beside Merchant's home earlier. It quickly spread to her fence.

"Luckily, [my husband] saw it immediately, and dragged out the hose to put it out right away."

Merchant worries whoever might be setting fires is becoming more bold. At first, they seemed to take place week apart. Now fires will start within days of each other.

Just two days before Merchant's fence was set ablaze, a neighbour's garage was destroyed by fire. Merchant said that incident prompted police to go door-to-door warning people to be more vigilant.

Merchant now drives through the alleyway behind her house, keeping an eye out for suspicious people.

'It's quite disconcerting'

Dale Ladouceur can rattle off half-a-dozen recent fires by memory: the two on Merchant's property, another at a nearby construction site, one at a house down the street.

She said her neighbours are now considering an unusual step — buying a series of security cameras and linking them together to keep an eye on the block's alleyways.

"It's quite disconcerting," Ladouceur said.

"This is a good neighbourhood … everyone watches each other's backs."

According to residents, a quick response from the firefighters and watchful neighbours in a close-knit community have limited the amount of damage. The increased police attention is also welcomed.

Still, Ladouceur worries that if the problem isn't solved soon, the consequences could be tragic.

"We don't want anyone to lose, not only their property, but their lives."