By By Sharon White/The Meridian Star
Jan. 14, 2001
Investigators are expected to determine whether fires in two vacant houses this weekend are among a series of suspicious fires in Meridian that began in early December.
The Martin Luther King Drive fire began just after 10 p.m. and the Fifth Street fire started about 10:30 p.m. Both fires which reportedly caused "minor or light damage" are listed as incendiary cases, Miller said.
The city's Arson Task Force began knocking on doors and following "every possible lead" after three houses located close to one another were burned during the early morning hours of Dec. 5.
A fourth house was also damaged by exposure to the heat and flames coming from the vacant houses, fire reports said.
In the first cases, a house at 3939 1/2 Valley St. and 3817 South St. burned to the ground, while a house a 3826 Hooper St. sustained heavy damage.
On Dec. 14, two vacant houses at 4013 South St and 405 40th Ave. were set fire within minutes of each other about 11:30 p.m. Both were heavily damaged.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Meridian Fire Department at 485-1822 or the Meridian Police Department at 485-1893.
Sharon White is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at swhite@themeridianstar.com.