On Thursday, just weeks before the one-year anniversary of a spree of arson fires in downtown Lewiston, police and fire officials responded to four fires. All four had been set.
Even though city officials declined to discuss the looming anniversary, people on the street are thinking about it and talking about it. The fear that lived in this city last year is still very real for people, residents and officials alike.
On the afternoon of April 29, 2013 — a Monday — a large apartment building on Blake Street was set on fire. Despite the best efforts of city firefighters to contain the fire, flames jumped to two other apartment buildings and by the time the flames were put out, all three buildings were destroyed and 75 people were left homeless.
On Friday night, May 3, fire damaged four buildings on Bartlett and Pierce streets. Many of the residents were sleeping, and ran from the building in bedclothes and bare feet. One-hundred people lost their homes.
Then, very early the following Monday, firefighters responded to fire sweeping through three buildings on Bartlett and Horton streets. Two of the buildings were vacant, but a third apartment building was filled with 75 frightened immigrants.
In the span of eight days, fire consumed 10 apartment buildings.
The fires had purposely been set to trash or other debris discarded near each building.
The fact spurred city officials to mandate that landlords and tenants clean up the trash, including abandoned furniture, around and near their properties to lessen the temptation — and the fuel — for anyone to set additional fires. It was an all-out and costly effort, and the arsons stopped.
Four people were subsequently charged in the fires, and although there was widespread public speculation about the copycat nature of the spree, police and fire officials say each act of arson was distinct from the others.
Cases against two of the defendants have since been dismissed, one because the defendant was ruled incompetent to stand trial and the second because the court tossed out the young defendant’s confession.
Two other cases are pending, but public opinion wending through social media is not pleased that no one has been held accountable for last year’s fire crimes.
That public displeasure was evident again Thursday, even before the flames on Howe Street had been extinguished.
Last year, the fires hit without warning and people felt hopeless.
This year, knowing that all of the 2013 fires and some of Thursday’s fires were started by lighting abandoned trash on fire, there is something we can do: Get rid of the trash.
There was great progress made during the push to eliminate trash last year. But, now, a year later more trash has been dumped.
A drive through the downtown, with a critical eye, reveals trash heaped between some apartment buildings and on porches, scattered on front lawns and piled up in empty lots. Trash is a problem in a lot of cities, and every pile is a potential arson target.
Eliminating the trash could help eliminate that threat.
Fire officials know that and have asked, once again, for Lewiston’s landlords to check their properties and remove trash left outside. They are also asking residents to be more aware of their surroundings.
Pay attention to what people are doing and saying, and who is hanging around.
If you see a pile of trash, tell someone about it so it can be cleared away. Or, work with the city to organize trash-clearing projects, a kind of citywide spring clean.
Last year, this community pulled together to help fire victims replace clothing and other basic necessities. Social service agencies and landlords worked together to find housing for 200 people in need, and school officials helped calm children to put their fear in perspective.
It was a tremendous community effort of caring, and an effort of which Lewiston can forever be proud.
Now, the city must be watchful. The people who live here must confront the fear they expressed Thursday and help protect their neighborhoods.
jmeyer@sunjournal.com
The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and the editorial board.
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