A garage and a vacant home caught fire in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Benton Park West neighborhood of St. Louis. Brittany Schweiger, a neighbor, witnessed the garage fire and quickly called it in after seeing the flames through her window. She mentioned that her Ring camera captured the suspect entering the garage and setting it on fire. Neighbors noted that there had been suspicious activity around the garage in the past.
The fire not only damaged the garage but also caused the siding of nearby houses and garages to melt. It also burned electrical wires, leading to AT&T coming out for repairs. Despite the damage, neighbors did not lose power but were left without internet access. Just a block away, city police reported a suspicious fire on the second floor of a vacant home. While it is uncertain if the two fires are connected, neighbors expressed concerns about their safety with the arsonist still at large.
Residents reached out to St. Louis Police for increased patrols in the area to ease their fears, but have not received a response. Police are urging anyone with information regarding either fire to contact bomb and arson detectives at 314-444-5701.
