Suspicious house fire being investigated
Podcast Episode
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Janesville fire and police personnel are treating an early morning fire at 121 Clark Street as suspicious. The fire started on the front porch and exterior of the vacant, wood-frame, two-unit home, which is in foreclosure and is for sale by a bank.
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JANESVILLE — Police detectives were called to the scene of a suspicious fire that caused extensive damage to a vacant Janesville house early this morning.
The fire started on the front porch and exterior of 121 Clark St. and caused extensive damage.
Scott Morovits, fire department shift commander, said the fire is suspicious and under investigation by Janesville Fire Marshal Larry Hainstock and police detective Mark Johnson.
The house had been through foreclosure and was for sale by a bank, Morovits said.
The Web site for First Weber Group Realtors listed the house's sale price as $58,900.
The wood-frame, two-unit house was vacant. It had been secured and winterized, Morovits said.
Firefighters remained on scene at 8:30 a.m. to help with the investigation, water down hot spots and to pick up equipment, Morovits said.
Firefighters were dispatched at 5:25 a.m. after a resident of 318 S. Parker Drive called the Rock County Communications Center and reported "a lot of smoke in the intersection of South Parker Drive and Clark Street," Morovits said.
Janesville police arrived first and found the house burning at the northwest corner of Clark Street and South Parker Drive, Morovits said.
On the way to the fire, Morovits saw smoke from as far away as South Main Street at Racine street, he said.
Upon arrival, firefighters saw "the structure was fully involved and flames showing," Morovits said.
Four fire department engines and two ambulances plus other personnel from the Janesville Police Department responded to the scene.
Traffic was blocked for several hours at Clark Street on Main and Division Streets, Morovits said.
Apr 1, 2009 at 1:26 p.m.
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How sad, I had lived upstairs in the house for ~10 yrs in the 80's and my oldest Daughter was born there. It would have been a great deal on a nice 2 unit in that price range. It's a decent area, I moved from there only a couple blocks away. A shame someone felt compelled to do this.
Apr 1, 2009 at 1:26 a.m.
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Thats another possibility Hornet.
Yeah Hannah, it didnt look like a bad deal for the DIY'er. I lived just down the street at 114 for a couple months when I moved to Janesville. Was a pretty quiet area then. No idea how it is now.
Mar 31, 2009 at 3:25 p.m.
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This may be completely out of line, but I remember when a barn burned down, not far from another home I lived in...teenagers were hanging out and smoking. Nothing to do with foreclosure or insurance, just the availability of a vacant building for a casual evening.
---I LOVE THE MAPS---
Mar 31, 2009 at 3:59 a.m.
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Look at all the suspicious fires and accidents that have happened in the last 4 months and how have they been followed up on in this paper?
Mar 31, 2009 at 2:10 a.m.
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Hannah, some people will just damage/destroy a house just out of spite when the bank takes it over. I know someone who walked around his house after the bank took over on the day he was supposed to be moved out and used a baseball bat on the walls. Needless to say that piece of trash is no longer a friend of mine.
Mar 30, 2009 at 9:36 p.m.
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insurance money, tax free income.
Mar 30, 2009 at 7:12 p.m.
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I doubt highly this was the banks doing. Another house in this same area had a porch fire just like this last May. The fires look alike; It even has the same burn pattern. I know I will be sleeping less tonight. Thank God this was a vaccant property!
Mar 30, 2009 at 5 p.m.
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Desperate times bring on desperate measures. Scary times are ahead. I can't judge a person who chooses to do these types of things (foreclosure fires ~ and I am not saying that this is what happened), because I certainly don't know what I would do in that situation, and panic can make a person do irrational things. I pray that this family wasn't at fault, and didn't add to their troubles.
Mar 30, 2009 at 3:05 p.m.
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Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, for the map! It takes so little to make me happy!
Mar 30, 2009 at 11:18 a.m.
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Geez, this is very disturbing. Some cities have these "foreclosure fires" every other day. I hope this doesn't become a trend. We own some vacant property and I worry about it all the time.
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