Three historic homes burn, neighbors think arson

DETROIT (WJBK) - Three homes in Detroit's historic Black Bottom District goes up in flames but neighbors are convinced that these fires are no accident think there's a firebug in their neighborhood.

The three homes at the corner of St. Aubin and Leland went down quickly. One of them caught fire and quickly spread to the other two. The city hasn't determined the exact cause just yet, but people who live in this area say something isn't right.

"When they came out the second time, the LT. said he went up there and found fresh containers of gasoline," Jerome Simpson said.

Simpson's mom has lived in the house next door since 1963, and the family has owned one of the homes that caught fire as well. Simpson said it had been used for storage for decades but will likely become another home that will need to be torn down.

"Yes, unfortunately that is the case. It's not salvageable to put that kind of money into it," Simpson said.

The historic neighborhood isn't all blight. It's Detroiters who have lived proudly in the area their entire lives and are doing their best to bring the community back.

"It's not a good feeling at all. But you got some strong neighbors on this block, and we're going to stay here," Charles Mann said.

It will take sometime for investigators to determine the cause of all three fires, but is being ruled suspicious, while they look over all the evidence found.