Series of fires strikes fear in Brandon neighborhood
Five fires have occurred on Forest Hills Drive. Officials don't know whether they are connected.
By JAY CRIDLIN
Published May 14, 2004
BRANDON - Jayne Radzwilka has big dogs. Her front yard is well-lit. Overall, she feels like her neighborhood is safe.
That security, though, is starting to diminish.
In the past six months, five fires - all suspected arsons - have broken out in houses near Radzwilka's home in Brandon's Hillside subdivision. All have occurred on the same street, Forest Hills Drive.
"I'm now feeling a little bit more fear," Radzwilka said. She was among a standing-room-only crowd of neighborhood residents who met Thursday night to discuss the fires with officials from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the state and county fire marshal's offices.
It was an unexpected showing, with residents spilling into the hallway of the Brandon Community Center to speak with officials about forming a neighborhood watch.
"I expected there'd be 25 to 30 people here," said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley. "I think these people are genuinely concerned about their community."
The five fires occurred within seven houses of one another on Forest Hills.
A Nov. 9 fire at 710 Forest Hills caused minimal damage, no one was hurt and authorities thought it was electrical in nature. But a much larger blaze the next day at the same address caused more than $100,000 in damage and prompted officials to launch an arson investigation.
The home at 707 Forest Hills partially burned on Feb. 12, causing $10,000 in damage. Residents hadn't yet cleaned out all the damage when another fire on March 3 gutted the home, resulting in damages of $150,000. Both fires, investigators say, were deemed suspicious.
Most recently, on May 5, the home at 704 Forest Hills sustained more than $20,000 in property and content damage while the owner was at the movies.
Deputy Fire Marshal Frank Fernandez said it's too soon to tell whether all five fires are connected.
"At this time, we don't have enough evidence to say that it is a serial arsonist," he said. "We are investigating each fire separately."
Officials couldn't say much about each investigation - only that they were not close to an arrest, and that residents should watch for anything suspicious.
Andrew Balser, who lived at 707 Forest Hills, said he has seen a marked increase in the number of sheriff's deputies who patrol the neighborhood at night.
"It took the third house to get more attention," he said. "The patrols have been a lot heavier lately."
Tamra Lorenzo, who lives at 712 Forest Hills, said residents have definitely been more cautious of late.
"The neighbors in the area of the fires talk," she said. "We talk about it. All of us keep an eye out."
The Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention is offering a $2,500 reward to anyone with information leading to the identification of the person who set the fires.
To report any information about the fires, call the Arson Reward Hotline at 1-877-662-7766.
