Racine firefighters battle three fires in half hour



RACINE -- Three fires in less than a half hour stretched the Racine Fire Department thin early Tuesday morning. All are believed to have been intentionally set by the same person or group of people. Now, a neighborhood and fire department are grasping for answers.

Officials say this fiery crime spree caused more than $40,000 in damage.

Kevin Manning's fiance spotted the garage of their Racine home at Washington Avenue and Boyd Avenue burning just after midnight Tuesday. "She came out and seen the garage smoking, came and got me and called 911. The team was putting out the first incident, and about two to three minutes later, the garage across the way burst into flames," Manning said.

The second garage is backed up to an alley off Kearney Avenue. Soon after arriving, firefighters received a third call!

This time, an RV and garage off an alley on Holmes Avenue were on fire. Three fires, within a couple blocks of one another, within 30 minutes!

Firefighters believe the fires were intentionally set. Only one firefighter suffered minor injuries while battling all three blazes, and no one else was hurt. Unfortunately, there are no witnesses, which means the Racine firefighters and police investigating need the public's help. "We can only assume somebody was going down the ally and having some fun, lighting some fires up. We don't have any descriptions, or anything like that, so it's going to be a tough one. Just keep your eyes and ears open for suspicious people in our neighborhood," Racine Fire Department Division Chief Timm Prideaux said.

If you have a tip for Racine police and fire investigators, you're asked to call (262) 635-7915.