heights_yankee Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 i hope the HPD/HFD are embarassed. this is crazy. all we've got is one petty criminal on the ropes for one fire that was probably started by his crack pipe or used as a cover for another crime, while a serial arsonist is burning home after home. these 2 strike me as the original guy, assuming there are copy cats. i am surprised i haven't seen this in the national news. you would think a string of 20 fires in a historic and expensive neighborhood in the country's 4th largest city would get some national attention. of course, our cold weather yesterday made it on msnbc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketSci Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 i hope the HPD/HFD are embarassed. this is crazy. all we've got is one petty criminal on the ropes for one fire that was probably started by his crack pipe or used as a cover for another crime, while a serial arsonist is burning home after home. these 2 strike me as the original guy, assuming there are copy cats. i am surprised i haven't seen this in the national news. you would think a string of 20 fires in a historic and expensive neighborhood in the country's 4th largest city would get some national attention. of course, our cold weather yesterday made it on msnbc...Beginning 3 or 4 years ago there were a series of arson fires over several months in apartments and condos in Clear Lake, and there were several entire buildings taken down along Eldorado Boulevard over a period of several months, including a tire dealership. For some reason the fires in Clear Lake didn't get much publicity, but I know that the residents in the area were scared for their safety and property. Last year I remember a series of apartment and condo arsons in SW Houston. Now this year it is the Heights. As far as I can tell, they have never caught the arsonists, and a quick research on the web shows little information about these. Has there been any investigation as to whether there could be some relationship between these events? Are there other arson clusters that are occurring but not being reported? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 so, more fires tonight at courtlandt and white oak. occupied homes.was this guy at mistletoe madness and decided to spark a house? wtf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thStDad Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Are those for sure arson? I don't know that we can give the guy credit for every fire out there. It's been cold the past few days, and people are probably doing stupid things to keep warm. Happens every year. Most people are dumb, they do dumb things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 so, more fires tonight at courtlandt and white oak. occupied homes.was this guy at mistletoe madness and decided to spark a house? wtf.13 said that hfd suspects the owner left a candle on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 13 said that hfd suspects the owner left a candle onyes, this is the final verdict that i heard. in a way, it's good to hear. in another way, people need to be more careful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiko Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I know during the Home Tour this Sat a house caught on fire in the 800 block of Arlington - the docents called it into HFD. They smelled an "electrical smell" prior to spotting the smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Yet another...http://www.chron.com...an/6760769.html The fire broke out at the single-story home in the 1400 block of Nashua about 1 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the blaze about a half hour later, fire officials said. Coincidentally, I saw HPD CSI parked near this location late yesterday afternoon. I assume they were looking at the preious fire on that block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Yet another...http://www.chron.com...an/6760769.htmlCoincidentally, I saw HPD CSI parked near this location late yesterday afternoon. I assume they were looking at the preious fire on that block.I know I'm biased by TV, but "HPD CSI" conjures images of some fat dudes with lint rollers, hefty bags and duct tape collecting evidence while they drop cigarette ashes and donut crumbs all over the crime scene. But given the lack of results on this investigation, you have to wonder. More uniforms on patrol won't take criminals off the street if you don't have the right investigative resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleaningLadyinCleveland Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Does anyone know if any of the confirmed arson fires have been started where the new constable program in the Heights has been patrolling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCR Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Woo Hoo!! Houston Heights arsons make the Drudge Report. We are nationwide now, baby. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091227/D9CRQK1G1.html22 and counting: Mystery fires rattle Houston Dec 27, 1:40 PM (ET)By JUAN A. LOZANO HOUSTON (AP) - A four-foot pile of ash and charred debris is all that remains of the Rodriguez family's two-story garage, which had been stuffed with tools, machinery, couches and appliances when a mysterious fire ripped through it earlier this month. It was the 22nd arson that has taken place since August in a historic Houston neighborhood called the Heights, known more for its comforting small-town feel in the midst of big city sprawl than for being the center of criminal activity. Most of the fires have taken place in the middle of the night and nearly always in abandoned structures, though flames have leapt to some adjacent occupied homes, frightening residents like the Rodriguez family. "I just don't know when they are going to catch this guy," a dejected Jesus Rodriguez said as he stood over his truck's pickup bed, dirtied by ash and scorched pieces of wood after it had been used to haul away the debris. Authorities charged a suspect last month for starting one of the blazes. But he has not been charged with any of the other arsons and the fires continued even after his arrest. Residents of the Heights, which sits on one of Houston's rare hills overlooking nearby downtown, have taken some comfort no one has been hurt. But they worry their property could be next. "I don't feel like they have the person that did it," said Diane Kight, who lives across the street from a home set ablaze on Nov. 11. She was recently driving home after taking her husband to work and saw a fire truck, and immediately worried it could be speeding to her house. "It's scary." The damage to the Rodriguez garage came when an empty house next door was set ablaze in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, and the flames quickly spread to the Rodriguez's garage in the back of their one-story brown Craftsman style bungalow, where they have lived for 25 years. The fire also damaged a portion of the back roof, now covered by a blue tarp. Two bedrooms won't be used until the roof can be fixed but it could be awhile. "We don't have insurance. There is no money to fix it," said Jesus Rodriguez. His son, Randall Rodriguez, 23, said the tools and machinery were part of a repair business run by his mother and were being temporarily stored in the garage until his parents could open up a new shop. The furniture and appliances belonged to Randall Rodriguez and his wife, who had temporarily moved back in with his parents. The total loss is estimated at $70,000. The fires have kept to the Heights, a neighborhood of more than 40,000 residents first developed in 1892. Its streets are lined by majestic trees and stately Victorian-styled homes. The locally owned antiques and coffee shops and art galleries give it a laid-back atmosphere. But the landscape has changed on some streets. Some of the torched structures still stand, littered with burned mattresses, blackened photographs. Others have been torn down, only a concrete foundation or dirt lot remaining.more here:http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091227/D9CRQK1G1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Woo Hoo!! Houston Heights arsons make the Drudge Report. We are nationwide now, baby.The story was published yesterday in the LA Times with pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 The same article appeared in the local paper, The Eagle. Is The Heights really the center of criminal activity in Houston? I had a few other candidates in my mind for "centers of criminal activity" in Houston, but the Heights? Really?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmariar Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 HFD Arson Investigators are Seeking a Person of Interest as part of the Investigation of Heights area Fires Houston Fire Department (HFD) arson investigators are seeking a person of interest to question as part of the investigation of fires that have occurred within the area known as the Houston Heights. Eluid Tristan Limon (DOB 6/17/1979, Hispanic Male, 5'10", 120 lbs) is wanted for burglary of a habitation, a second degree felony. Houston Arson investigators have charged Limon for burglarizing a residence located at 1032 Ashland. Even though investigators have information that Limon may flee to Mexico, Limon has strong ties to the Houston and Bryan/College Station areas. Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Eluid Limon should call Crime Stoppers at 713.222.TIPS. You will remain anonymous. If your information leads to the filing of felony charges or an arrest, you will be eligible for up to a $5,000 reward. The Houston Fire Department Arson Division is working cooperatively with the Houston Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to solve this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 This is Marksmu?! A Really Happy New Year if this is the guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6794004.htmlhere is how they wrote it up in the chron.yeah, they get suspicious when the same guy keeps showing up. how long did it take them to figure that one out? the arsonist always watches the fire. that's the point of being an arsonist. anyway, i hope this really is the guy and we can put this whole thing behind us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 A fire on East 13 1/2 near Beverly.From Channel 13Firefighters say it appears someone used some sort of an accelerant to start the fire. I think this is the first in this series of incidents to take place on the east side of Heights Blvd EDIT: The Chron has another take..Firefighters said they determined that the home’s electrical circuit break box arced, sending sparks into a small pile of wood next to the house.I also notice that 13 has removed it from their front page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 To the northwest:House on Fire with 1 alarm(s)/2 unit(s) at W 22ND ST /BLK BEVIS STW 22ND ST BLK BEVIS ST 452U 02/16/2010 12:49 House on Fire 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Another one near the one above:03/03/2010 07:40House on Fire with 1 alarm(s)/5 unit(s) at E 23RD ST /BLK NORHILL BLVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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