Is Arson Freaking You Out?

Back in August, after Somerville had seen 12 major fires over the summer, with three confirmed arsons, we asked, "Somerville: Are fire-engine sirens making you jumpy?"

Slightly over a week later, a 13th fire—a small one that was put out quickly—was determined to be arson. Five more fires remained under investigation. The others were accidental.

A Boston Globe article, "String of arsons causes unease in Somerville," said, "Fear has been spreading through Somerville since June 27, when the Fire Department began responding to the first of 13 blazes, most of them in the early mornings."

The city has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arsonist or arsonists.

Meanwhile, nearly 125 people have been displaced from their Somerville homes by this summer's fires. The Globe article spoke to one displaced resident who is now living in Arlington.

In response to our question about fire-engine sirens making people jumpy, one commenter wrote, "I get concerned every time I hear the fire trucks get going."

Another said of this summer's fires, "I wouldn't call it PANIC, but it's definitely concern."

And a third said, "The fires are definitely on my mind ... just bought new smoke detectors and a motion-detector light for the back yard. It's very scary because this person (or persons) is setting fires in homes that are occupied, not in vacant buildings, and sooner or later, someone is going to get hurt."

Is the Globe article right? Is fear spreading through Somerville? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being completely unconcerned and 10 being completely freaked out, how concerned are you about arson in Somerville?

If you are concerned, make sure to watch this video, where Somerville's fire chief offers tips on preventing bad fires at your home.