You may have noticed a lot of fires in vacant buildings around Benton Harbor in the last several months.
Just this week, an abandoned party store on North Fair and Edgecumbe suffered severe damage in a fire that the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety believes may have been intentionally set. In September, the former GG Grocery building at 861 Buss Avenue burned down, and in March the former Morton Elementary School was damaged in a fire that the department also believes may have been arson.
This raises the question: is there a serial arsonist on the loose in Benton Harbor?
Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety fire services deputy director Brian Kazmierzak tells us no. Kazmierzak says the department has considered that question itself and looked into everything, and there’s “absolutely no connection” between the various fires, as far as it can tell. He says the department has gotten several tips in some of these arsons, and there’s no connection between the various potential suspects. Also, Kazmierzak notes most of the structures that have burned down this year were uninsured, so the idea their owners set fire to the buildings to collect benefits is also out.
Kazmierzak says the investigations into the fires are ongoing, and anyone with information on them is asked to contact the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety.
