South Carolina Neighborhood Suffers 27 Fires in Past 6 Months

April 2, 2009

Firefighters have battled another blaze in an Orangeburg County, South Carolina neighborhood where authorities say 27 fires have been reported within a mile of each other in the past six months.

All of the fires have been in vacant homes without power and almost all appear to have been intentionally set. No injuries have been reported.

The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reports the latest fire destroyed a home valued at $12,000.

Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams says investigators have several leads, but have made no arrests.

Williams thinks at least some of the fires were set to send a message to law enforcement, which recently ran a large drug operation in the area.

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Information from: The Times & Democrat,
http://www.timesanddemocrat.com