Unsolved Fire Mysteries

An interesting article in the Daily News about how investigators are still pursuing other arson cases that have plagued Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Six fires from January to April claimed four lives and displaced 100 people, and many theories abound - from mortgage fraud to redevelopment fever. And three fires on Pacific Street were all started by an accelerant.

Some people have claimed that these fires aren't getting enough attention (apparently some resources were shifted to investigate the Greenpoint warehouse fire), but the article serves to show that the police are on the case. One detective tells the Daily News that police officers from a number of divisions are working on the case and adds, "We haven't ruled out any facet but we're not looking for a random firebug here. We've heard all the concerns, the Ratner [Atlantic Yards] project, gentrification."