House destroyed after two fires in two days

HOUSTON A pile of charred rubble is all that's left of the home that used to stand on Gregg at Lee. It took crews about an hour to tear down the abandoned building after firefighters spent nearly the same amount of time bringing the blaze under control. No one was inside, or hurt, but there was fire in another abandoned property just across the street, about a block away. That brings the total to three fires in three days.

People who live in the area are angry and nervous, and afraid to sleep at night. But mostly, they're disappointed that someone would destroy what they call a piece of 5th Ward history.

"It's sad because, I mean, I've been here since 1975 and it was a store then, and it was a store, I'm sure, before I got here," one resident recalled. "To see it just demolished is just a sad thing. It's just another piece of 5th Ward history, though. The church was burned down this year, too, so that's another piece of history gone."

Arson officials are investigating. We're told there may be more than one suspect in this case, but no arrests have been made.

Neighborhood protection patrols are canvassing the neighborhood. Residents hope someone is caught before there's another fire and before anyone gets hurt.