This is what we woke up to this morning. The house across the street (supposedly in foreclosure with the tenants in the slow process of moving out - one shopping cart at a time)
caught fire and burned. No one was hurt - three people made it out, but one tenant's old dog and three cats died in it. Two other cats have found their way to our place, where we put some food and water out for them.
Arson is suspected, according to the neighborhood rumors. I don't doubt it.
The three houses across the street are all in foreclosure apparently, and neighbors on Ormsby have offered to buy them, but the banks haven't responded. One of the houses burned three years ago, and has been boarded up since then. I think our neighborhood is lovely, except for these houses. The tenants are loud, constantly yelling, trash scattered all over, the back yard filled with boxes, furniture, mattresses, etc. Their departure should've happened long ago, and maybe this tragedy could've been prevented. There are rumors that they haven't had running water or electricity, and drugs and booze seem prevalent.
You wonder where these people went wrong, and what happens to make someone stop caring - for themselves, for their possessions, for their neighbor. We talk about this often at school, this respect for the world around us. I hope we can find ways to advocate the importance of caring for our surroundings and our fellow beings.
I hear demolition is set for tomorrow.
