Burning in the Glass City

The burnt remains of an arson fire on South Ave in Toledo

          The fact is Toledo Has a growing problem with arson crimes. As a class we decided that this was a topic we wanted to explore. In doing research for our class project, we discovered that according to the numbers collected by the FBI, Toledo is ranked fourth in the nation for arson. After talking with the Toledo Fire Department and explaining our project we were given a list of address of arson sites.

          As we canvased the neighborhoods we found some of the homes were completely destroyed, whereas others were still standing. There was one thing each of these sites had in common. At every location that we visited, the arson fire caused damage to a neighboring home.

          Arson not only affects the owner of the property, it is a crime that affects the whole neighborhood.

Another site of arson on Kenilworth street in central Toledo. 

*the sound slide portion of our project can be viewed on Rust Wire

     Burned: the rust belt on fire

A photo story by the intro to photojournalism class at Owens CC

Arson is the leading cause of fires in the United States, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.  Of these fires, 30 percent are in structures, including homes. Fire officials estimate that 50 percent of all fires may be intentionally set, yet it is difficult to determine the actual number of arson fires because a good number of them go unreported.

            The FBI estimates that four out of the top 10 cities in the United States for arson crimes reported are in Ohio. The fourth spot on the list is right here in Toledo.  The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal reported that the six common motives for arson are:

Another view of the distruction left behind at the site of the arson fire
on South ave. Toledo, Ohio

• ·         Excitement
• ·         Vandalism
• ·         Crime Concealment
• ·         Revenge
• ·         Extremist/Terrorist
• ·         Profit

The Introduction to Photojournalism class at Owens Community College visited some of the sites of arson fires in the Central Toledo area.

Why should we care about arson and its impact on the rust belt? Arson is a felony crime. It is a crime against people and every year firefighters are killed in responding to open-air fires. Then there is the cost of the fires. Firefighters must be paid, the cost of supplies to fight the fires, the value of the property destroyed and the loss of tax revenue are all things to be considered.

In spite of the numbers and the fact that arson is a crime, the real reason we should care about the growing problem of arson in the rust belt is the fact that while firefighters are away battling a needless fire, they can not be there should a real emergency arise. The cost of arson is more than money it is putting lives at risk.