Medford, Ore. — Medford Police are investigating two new arson fires as two victims deal with the damage to their properties.
The fires come as Medford Police investigate more than a dozen unsolved arson’s which started between late June and early July.
“This is very concerning,” said Lt.Mike Budreau, of the Medford Police Department.
The first incident happened between August 30th and September 1st on Woodbriar Drive in Northeast Medford.
According to police someone poured some type of accelerant over a fence and set it on fire.
“We’re not sure how it put itself out. Maybe it just ran out of a fuel source,” Budreau said.
“It was cedar, so it should have just kept going,” said resident David Knutson.
Knutson says he was out of town last weekend but when he came home this past week, he found a plastic gasoline tank in his yard.
“I was out here watching the dogs and all of a sudden I looked up and seen the fence burn,” said Knutson.
Friday morning, Medford Police responded to another arson case,they believe could be connected to the burned fence.
Someone broke into a car on Bell Court, and set the inside on fire.
The fire died out on it’s own, but Lt. Budreau says both these fires could have been much worse.
“A vehicle, as we know, has gasoline. and once that catches fire we’re talking explosions, we’re talking people getting injured,”Budreau said.
And in a neighborhood not known for crime,people who live here now fear a new arsonist is targeting them.
“It’s very concerning to have this right in our neighborhood. But it’s kind of scary to think that it could just happen anywhere,” said nearby resident Maribeth Curran.
Police are asking residents to keep an extra eye out on the neighborhood.
If you have any information regarding these fires you are asked to call police.
(Original9/5 4:15pm) :Medford Police posted on their Facebook page about arson activity in Northeast Medford.
Here is what they had to say:
We have had very little arson activity since the rash of arsons this past summer. However, on September 1st, 2014, we investigated an arson in the 3000 block of Woodbriar Drive, Medford. This is the first arson we have had in several weeks and the first one in this area. The unknown suspect lit a fence on fire that was attached to a residence (see photo). The fire burned several fence boards, but luckily did not spread to the house. The fire apparently went out on its own. The residents of the home were out of town and the time frame was between August 30th – September 1st.
Then just this morning, a victim on West Bell Court found that someone entered her unlocked PT Cruiser overnight and lit the interior on fire. This fire also put itself out after running out of oxygen inside the vehicle, but not before causing some pretty good damage to the interior.
Due to the close time and proximity of these two arson fires, we believe they are related. Please keep your eye out for anything suspicious in that area.
Photos courtesy of Medford Police Department.
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