Rainier Street House Lost to Suspicious Fire
A vacant home burned for the third time recently, fueling suspicions of arson.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A vacant house at the corner of Florence and Rainier streets was destroyed by fire yesterday morning about 4 o'clock, and an adjoining residence damaged to some extent. The watchman at Taylor's mill discovered the fire and sent in an alarm immediately, but on account of the long run and inaccessibility to the location, the department did not arrive in time to render assistance. The house was valued at about $700. C. Breeien's house, which adjoined, was damaged but is fully insured. This was the third time the house has been on fire recently, which leads to the belief that it was the work of an incendiary.
“This was the third time the house has been on fire recently, which leads to the belief that it was the work of an incendiary.”
Arson in vacant properties remains a perennial concern for urban fire departments, highlighting the tension between abandoned real estate and public safety in rapidly developing cities.
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