Woman Facing Foreclosure Torches Home; Faces Arson Charge

In Gaines Township, Michigan, The Grand Rapids Press reports:

• Sheryl Christman allegedly had a plan that would give her what her mortgage company wouldn't -- a way out. Four days shy of losing her 3-year-old home to foreclosure, Christman, 38, allegedly set the $150,000 residence on fire Sept. 1, Kent County sheriff's officials said. Authorities say Christman, who has no prior criminal record, torched the home ... as a way to gain insurance money, but fire investigators immediately were suspicious of a blaze that appeared to have quickly roared out of control.

[...]

• Foreclosure arson is becoming an issue across the state and country, Grand Rapids fire investigator Pablo Martinez said. He recently attended a conference for fire investigators and nearly each person there had probed potential repossession fires.

For more, see Fire allegedly set to avoid foreclosure.

For story update, see Woman pleads no contest to arson of her own home.

For other stories on fires & foreclosures, go here and go here. foreclosure arson yak zebra

Torched Home In Foreclosure 'Ignites' Investigation; Alleged Straw Buyer, Flipping Scam Uncovered, Two Charged

KARE-TV Channel 11 (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) reports:

• With the final touches nearly done on a major remodel project, a Brooklyn Center home is ready to hit the market. [...] The home was in foreclosure when authorities say someone set it on fire. That ignited an investigation, leading Hennepin County detectives to an elaborate scheme that swindled banks out of millions. [...] Edward Boler of Burnsville and Susan Newell of Minneapolis are now charged with racketeering and a dozen counts of theft by swindle. [...] In all Boler and Newell allegedly took banks for nearly $3 million and took more than $282,000 for themselves. Eleven of the 12 homes they helped purchase went into foreclosure. The buyer's credit was ruined. It was a big loss for banks and, authorities say, for neighborhoods.

For more, see Detectives bust alleged mortgage fraud scheme. Go here to watch KARE-TV Channel 11 video report.

For Minneapolis Star-Tribune story, see Two charged in $2.8 million mortgage scam (Prosecutors say they recruited straw buyers, got loans for more than the properties' worth and split the profits). foreclosure arson zebra yak

Are Foreclosures Flaming The Fires Of Arson?

The following stories are on homes facing foreclosure that were recently paid visits by local fire departrments.

1) In Michigan, the Midland Daily News reports that Edenville Township firefighters got a call to battle a blaze at an unoccupied mobile home home recently. Neighbors said the home was being foreclosed on and that the people who had lived there recently moved out. The cause is being investigated. Source: Maplecrest Drive house fire Thursday under investigation.

2) In upstate New York, The Post Star reports that investigators are looking into whether a dispute over ownership of a home destroyed in a fire determined to be arson played a part in the fire. At the time of the fire, the home was unoccupied for eight months and in foreclosure, according to the attorney for the foreclosing party. For more, see Fire deemed arson.

3) The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that a homeowner was charged with first-degree arson for allegedly setting fire to his Woodland Park, Colorado home on the same day he was to be evicted in a foreclosure. For more, see Man accused of burning his home (Woodland Park resident was to be evicted that day).

4) In North Dakots, The Bismarck Tribune reports that, according to a Bismarck fire investigator, a fire to a home earlier this week "may have started under "suspicious circumstances" but later said it appeared more "unusual" than suspicious." Coincidentally, however, the home was in foreclosure and was sold at auction this past Wednesday (8-1-07); the lender (Wells Fargo) got stuck taking the property back. For more, see Fire only causes smoke damage to Bismarck home.

5) Go here for other posts on foreclosures on fire. zebra

Funeral Home In Foreclosure Burns Down, Feds Investigate

WXIA-TV (Atlanta, Georgia) reports:

• A funeral home that burned during a two-alarm fire in Griffin Monday night was in foreclosure and slated to be sold in October, 11Alive News learned Tuesday.The fire broke out about 6 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the historic antebellum home that housed the Watkins and Sons Funeral Home business. Griffin fire investigators returned to the scene Tuesday, along with federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as well as the state Fire Marshal's Office.

For more, see Burned Funeral Home in Foreclosure. arson zebra

Fires & Foreclosures

The following are excerpts from three stories of property in foreclosure that caught fire under suspicious circumstances.

Minnesota Woman Facing Foreclosure Charged With Torching Home

The Prior Lake American reports:

• "A 48-year-old Prior Lake [Minnesota] woman was charged with first-degree arson in Scott County District Court on Aug. 15. Tammie Wells-Clark Narveson allegedly started her home ... on fire at approximately 11:33 p.m. on Oct. 6., 2006, according to the criminal complaint. [...] Narveson told police that she had been served with divorce papers by her husband a week earlier. She told police her husband still lived at the home but slept in the basement. [...] When officers spoke with Narveson’s husband, he told them the house was in foreclosure. However, Narveson herself told police that their bills were up-to-date and their finances were in good shape, and the house was insured."

For more, see Woman charged with arson.

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Georgia Home in Foreclosure Goes Up In Flames

The Macon Telegraph reports:

• "For the fifth time in two weeks, Byron firefighters were once again called to a Byron area residence this morning. And this time, the fire destroyed the home. [...] The state fire marshal's office and the Peach County Sheriff's Office already have been investigating an earlier fire at the same home, which is the subject of a foreclosure, [the Peach County fire chief] said."

see Byron house fire under investigation.

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Fire In Vacant House In Foreclosure Labeled "Suspicious"

In Michigan, the Adrian Daily Telegram reports:

• "An unoccupied house was heavily damaged by what a fire official called a suspicious blaze. [...] According to Lenawee County property records, both parcels ... were in foreclosure ..."

For more, see Friday afternoon fire damages vacant home on Seneca Highway.

For other posts on fires & foreclosures, go here and go here. zebra

Washington Authorities Investigating Fire Of Home Involved In Foreclosure; Arson Suspected

In Clark County, Washington, The Columbian reports:

• "A Sifton-area man died Friday of injuries he suffered in a house fire early Thursday that also severely injured his wife. Also Friday, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was arson."

Reportedly, the couple was renting the house from Gary Colemansmith, who said he bought the house at a foreclosure auction last October and rented it back to the couple, the former owners. Colemansmith said the wife had given him written notice recently that the couple would be moving out May 31. For more, see Sifton-area man dies from fire injuries; arson blamed. zebra

South Dakota Man Cops Plea In Foreclosure Arson

An Associated Press article reports that Dustin Bomford, 19, pleaded guilty to second degree arson and was given a ten-year prison sentence with five years suspended for torching a home that was in foreclosure. Bomford claimed that the homeowner had asked him to help burn down the home for the insurance money. The homeowner was not charged. Bomford was also ordered to pay about $76,000 in restitution to reimburse the insurance company for the money it coughed up to the lender holding the mortgage. For more, see Arsonist ordered to reimburse insurance company. zebra

Another Vacant Foreclosed Home Goes Up In Flames; Investigators Suspect Squatters

In Mansfield, Ohio, the Mansfield News Journal reports:

• After living in the same place for 26 years, Glenna Hershberger said she was heartsick to see her former two-story home ablaze Sunday afternoon. Hershberger, 59, and her husband only recently lost the 521 Springmill St. home to foreclosure. [... According to Mansfield Fire Captain Don Yarger,] "It looked like a mattress in the living room was all burned up, so I don't know if someone was smoking on it or what happened. We're still not sure what actually caused the fire, but I'd be leaning toward vagrancy." [...] Neighborhood watch coordinator Amanda Stamfield, 33, said she suspected drug dealers had been in and out of the home since the Hershbergers moved out.

For more, see Vagrants suspected in Mansfield house fire.

Go here for posts on vacant homes, foreclosures and squatters. foreclosure arson yak squatter zebra

Another Vacant Foreclosure Goes Up In Flames; Arson Suspected

In Fall River, Massachusetts, SouthCoastToday.com reports:

• Investigators are eyeing arson as the cause of a Wednesday morning blaze that gutted an abandoned house, police said. Officials have ruled out accidental causes as the reason for the fire, which caused about $200,000 in damages to a multifamily house ... just before 1 a.m., police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Mauretti said.

According to the story, the vacant home is either currently in foreclosure, or has already been foreclosed by Fannie Mae. For more, see Arson eyed in Fall River fire. zebra

Another Home In Foreclosure Goes Up In Flames; Labeled Suspicious

Fire officials in Wilson, North Carolina have determined that a house that burned down and declared to be a total loss was in foreclosure and had been abandoned and left unsecured. They have not, as of yet, declared the fire to be arson, but are labeling the fire as suspicious because there was no electricity or gas at the structure. The home next door, which is also vacant and being held out for rent, sustained some mild heat damage.

Source: The Wilson Daily Times - Officials investigate house fire (Officials are calling a fire that destroyed an abandoned house early this morning suspicious).

Go here for other posts involving fires in foreclosure homes. zebra

Another Vacant Foreclosure "Home For Squatters" Goes Up In Flames

In California, The Stockton Record reports:

• "A vacant home that had become a haven for squatters was destroyed in an early morning fire [Thursday], and investigators suspect it was caused intentionally. [...] Nobody was injured in the fire, [an investigator] said. The house was in foreclosure and had been closed by the San Joaquin County Environmental Health Department."

For more, see Fire destroys vacant home; arson suspected.

Go here for posts on vacant homes, foreclosures and squatters. squatter foreclosure zebra

Arson Suspected In Home Fire Belonging To Texas Jurist; Foreclosure Filing A "Red Flag"

An Associated Press article in The Dallas Morning News reports:

• The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said the fire that destroyed the home of Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina this summer was "very suspicious" and is being investigated as arson. The fire broke out the night of June 28 in the garage of Medina's home near the Houston suburb of Spring, also destroying one neighboring home and damaged a third. Nathan Green, the lead investigator on the case, said a dog detected an accelerant at the fire scene. He said that doesn't always mean the fire was set on purpose, but "more times than not, the presence of an accelerant is indicative of an incendiary, intentionally set fire."

[...]

• A mortgage company filed to foreclose on the home in June 2006, according to public records. Medina and the mortgage company reached an agreement the following December, Green said. The foreclosure filing was a "very, very big red flag" for investigators, Green said. [...] Green said officials have subpoenaed cell phone and financial records of Medina family members and friends.

For more, see Fire marshal says justice's house fire was intentionally set (if link expired, try here).

For story update, see Fire at Texas Supreme Court justice's home ignites mystery (His lawyer says he is not a suspect; financial woes add to mystery) (10-12-07). zebra

California Vacant Foreclosure Goes Up In Flames

The Modesto Bee reports:

• "A suspicious fire Friday afternoon destroyed a vacant two-story house east of Turlock that neighbors said was the site of a methamphetamine laboratory bust a year ago. [...] Bill Rossi, 60, lives nearby and owns the almond orchards that surround the destroyed house. He said the house had been vacant since authorities raided it and found a meth lab operation in an upstairs room. Rossi said the home continued to serve as a hangout for drug users and transients who would break in. [...] He said the home had gone through several owners before it was placed in foreclosure."

Witnesses reported seeing two men leaving the property on bicycles shortly after the fire started. Arson has not been ruled out. For more, see Fire destroys Turlock home, site of meth lab.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta zebra

Man Facing Foreclosure Dies In House Fire

In Burien, Washington, KIRO-TV Channel 7 (Seattle) reports:

• A reclusive Vietnam veteran who had recently received notice of foreclosure on his Burien house was found dead after a fire at his home of more than 20 years early Wednesday morning, firefighters and neighbors told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

[...]

• The man, whose identity hasn't been released, died alone in a back room of the house, firefighters said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. King County fire investigators were seen sifting through the rubble and arson dogs were brought to the scene.

For more, see Investigators Gather Clues To Cause Of Fatal Fire, or watch the KIRO-TV Channel 7 video report. zebra

String Of Suspicious Fires Hits Vacant Homes In One Upstate NY Town

In New York State, The Plattsburgh Press Republican reports:

• "A vacant house on The Portage in Ticonderoga burned to the ground early Thursday in what authorities believe was the third in a string of deliberately set fires. “They’ve all been vacant houses, at this point. But the next one could be occupied,” [said a police spokesperson]."

Of the three, at least one was in foreclosure; no word as to the foreclosure status of the other two, although they were currently being offered for sale. For more, see Ticonderoga house fire was third arson (So far only unoccupied homes have been burned). zebra

More On Fires & Foreclosures

According to Burr Ridge Suburban Life, a house in Burr Ridge, Illinois bought from a bank for $1.1 million in December, 2006 went up in flames a month later. The homeowners, a husband and wife, left the country for Syria shortly thereafter. Almost six months after being gutted by fire, the spacious three-story house on one of Burr Ridge’s most prominent streets remains boarded up, and the now former owners (the mortgage lender has since foreclosed on the property) are still out of the country. Authorities don't know why they left (and possibly don't know if they are ever coming back) and the DuPage County Arson Task Force has yet to determined the cause of the fire. The village of Burr Ridge is waiting for the bank that now owns the property to grant authorization for demolition. For more, see Village awaits bank’s OK for house demolition.

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WZZM-TV Channel 13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan reports that a vacant foreclosed house owned by out-of-town lender Fidelity Bank of Kansas went up in flames at the end of June. After over two weeks after the fire, Fidelity finally boarded up and secured the premises. Neighbors say the house is a hazard and feared neighborhood children would get on to the property. Reportedly, the house sits next to a church and will be torn down eventually, damaging the surounding neighbors' home values in the meantime. No mention if arson is suspected. For more, see After weeks, burned house is boarded for safety.

To see the fire, the aftermath, and the interview with the neighbors, go here to watch WZZM-TV report.

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The Columbus Dispatch reports on a fire-ravaged house in foreclosure in Mifflin Township, Ohio that still stands vacant after four years, with grass growing high in the trash-strewn yard and nobody knows what to do with it. Boards over the windows keep falling off, allowing troublemakers to break in. Bank One, now JPMorgan Chase and Co., foreclosed and agreed to buy the property at a sheriff's sale in 2006 but then backed off, court records show (the mortgage lender obviously doesn't want it). The homeowner's attorney sent a letter to the Franklin County, Ohio Board of Health, saying he is physically and financially unable to care for the property (the owner obviously doesn't want it, either).

(Presumably, the real estate taxes aren't being paid on the property, either - but I doubt that the county wants to foreclose; they probably don't want the house, either.)

Reportedly, local officials say the township and county are prevented by state law from demolishing the property. Meanwhile, the house continues to sit, in all its majesty, damaging the surrounding neighbors' home values. For more, see Mifflin Township residents, officials seek fix for fire-damaged house.

For other posts on fires & foreclosures, go here and go here. zebra

Ohio Man Killed, Wife Injured In Accident With Fire Truck Responding To Suspicious Vacant (Foreclosure) House Fire

In Canton, Ohio, the Canton Repository reports:

• "A World War II veteran was killed and his wife critically injured Wednesday when their car was struck by a fire truck on the way to a vacant house fire. [They] were celebrating their 53rd wedding anniversary, said friends at the nearby American Legion post they had just left."

Firefighters were responding to a burning 2 1/2-story wood-frame vacant house, which also caused some damage to the house next door. No injuries were reported at the site of the fire.

Reportedly, the house was in foreclosure and was scheduled for sheriff's sale Monday. The cause of the fire, while not yet declared arson, remains suspicious and is under investigation. For more, see Tragic end to wedding anniversary. zebra

Fire At Vacant Home In Foreclosure Ruled Arson

WFSB-TV Channel 3 in Connecticut reports:

• "Fire officials have determined that an early-morning Meriden fire was intentionally set. The fire started in the attic of a vacant home, according to officials. Dogs found some type of accelerant in the home as well as some physical evidence, according to investigators."

Source: Fire Marshal: Meriden Fire Intentionally Set (Officials Say Home Was In Foreclosure). zebra

Another Suspicious Fire Burns Down Vacant Yakima Condo Project

A condominium project which sat empty and in limbo for years has been reduced to charred remains in the largest in a string of local suspicious fires last week in Yakima, Washington, according to press reports. Construction of the condo project began seven years ago and its ownership has passed through several hands over the years.

Reportedly, the original owner lost the condos to foreclosure, and the current owners bought the property in a Sheriff's sale for $450,000 two years ago. Yakima Fire Chief Charlie Hines says damage estimates could easily be into the millions. Authorities said it's unclear whether the property was insured. The current owner, Deerfalls Property, reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. It also owes more than $25,000 in delinquent property taxes for the past three years. Jacques Von Speyer and Alexa Petschek-Von Speyer, who are listed as the debtors on the bankruptcy petition, could not be reached Thursday.

Federal Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms agents will be working on the investigation with Yakima Fire and Police investigators to figure out what caused the empty condos to burn down. While not yet calling it arson, they are calling the fire suspicious. For more, see:

ATF Agents Join Investigation Into Fire That Burned Down Empty Condos. (KNDO-23/KNDU-25).

Go here to watch the KNDO-23/KNDU-25 video report (Brian Levitan reports) (no longer available online).

Condo project destroyed in latest suspicious fire (Yakima Herald-Republic). zebra