INDIANAPOLIS -- There is a public safety concern about squatters setting fires in vacant homes while trying to keep warm.
The latest suspicious fire happened early Friday morning on the city's northeast side near 35th Street and Leland Avenue.
Just this week alone, the Indianapolis Fire Department has responded to at least four vacant house fires.
On Monday night, a vacant house without power and utilities in the 2100 block of Bellefontaine on the near north side caught fire. IFD blamed this fire on a squatter who was injured.
"They had a report of entrapment. When they got there, they found one person inside who was taken to Eskenazi in critical condition," IFD Battalion Chief Rita Reith said.
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The neighborhood in and around 2100 Bellfontaine has lots of vacant homes. A not-for-profit that is developing the area says there are lots of squatters seeking shelter from the winter cold.
A vacant house fire in the 300 block of North Holmes caused $10,000 in damage and another $2,000 in damage to the home next door. Nearby residents blame the fires on squatters and people stripping out copper pipes and other metals.
Fires in vacant homes pose a threat to first responders and the public. They also pose a hazard to other dwellings in the neighborhood.
If you see someone going in and out of vacant homes, you are urged to call police.
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