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State Fire Marshal: String of Fires in Calvert Ruled Arson

Updated: Thu 10:23 PM, Apr 19, 2012

A string of residential fires in the Robertson County town of Calvert over the past two months, police say, were set on purpose; and another fire this week is being ruled suspicious.

"I saw the smoke coming out of here so I just grabbed my purse and I ran out the door," said a Calvert resident who lives in the Federal Housing Complex on West Texas Street.

She's spent half of her life living inside this Calvert housing complex; and at 70-years-old, this woman, whose identity remains anonymous, says she's tired of running for her life.

"We thought it was going to blow up,” she said after her neighbor's house caught fire late Monday afternoon. “There was so much smoke; I couldn't even see the flames.”

Since February 18th -- five homes have been heavily damaged and four families displaced by fire. Four of those homes are located inside this federal housing complex on West Texas Street.

It's been a month-and- a-half since apartment number 818 and 820 went up in flames. The broken glass and police tape covering the property are just part of a scene that the State Fire Marshal says wasn't an accident.

On Monday -- apartment number 910 suddenly went up in flames. This fire -- marks the sixth fire within a two mile radius -- in only two months.

"My niece came back here and told me my room was on fire,” said fire victim Jannie Wilbon. “I ran out my neighbor’s back door, and came through the back; I saw smoke and said it’s probably not a fire, just smoke.”

Jannie Wilbon says she had a full house when her bedroom caught fire. As for how it happened…

“How it happened? I don't know, but whatever, I'm going to clean my house up,” said Wilbon.

Wilbon says it is a mystery but believes...

"What goes around comes around straight up,” Wilbon said.

Police say the suspicious fire is being investigated as Arson.


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