Fire Update

This morning we noticed that the crime scene tape was finally down from around our neighbor Jerry's burned out house.  Jerry and his wife are living in their fifth wheel trailer behind the house.  The house is a total loss.  There are very few items that they have been able to salvage.  It is a blessing that they and their animals are all safe.  The house was insured and they are starting to make plans to have it bulldozed and start rebuilding.

The frightening part of this story is that the fire marshal determined that the fire was definitely arson.  The fire was started at the back of the house with an accelerant, probably starter fluid.

The illusive neighbor, Phyllis, has not yet been interviewed by the authorities.  (She's the one who is feuding with Jerry and other neighbors and who didn't answer the door when I tried to alert her to the fire and then came to the door saying she was in the shower, but the lights were all off in the house...and then she never came outside during the fire until an ambulance arrived an hour later and hauled her out on a stretcher.)    Anyway, the authorities have been unable to contact her.  According to Jerry she was home briefly this morning but while Jerry's wife was on the phone with the authorities, Phyllis drove off quickly down the road.  "I've never seen her drive so fast." Jerry said.

So, there is an arsonist in our neighborhood...what does that do to property values?