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"Fire investigators are looking into a series of suspicious fires in East Sacramento that may be connected and could be ruled arson, according to Sacramento City Fire Department officials.Watch report:\u00A0Crews investigate series of 'suspicious' East Sac firesThe latest fire broke out at 2:30 a.m. Thursday at Folsom Boulevard and 55th Street.Fire crews said the blaze started as a trash bin fire and quickly spread, damaging the side of a nearby home.Within minutes, another fire broke out at Folsom Boulevard and 52nd Street near the restrooms of The Shack Restaurant.\u201CThese appear to be fires located where there's no electricity -- where there's nobody living -- so that raises concerns,\u201D said Sacramento City Fire Department spokesperson Roberto Padilla as he highlighted the suspicious nature of the fires.Firefighters said half a dozen fires have ignited within a three-block radius in the past two weeks during the early morning hours.\u201CWe can\u2019t rule that they\u2019re related, but we also can\u2019t rule it out,\" Padilla said. \"We can\u2019t confirm that this is arson, but we can\u2019t rule it out. It\u2019s definitely something that\u2019s raised eyebrows, and we\u2019re definitely looking into it.\u201DWhile firefighters are looking for a connection, neighbors remain alarmed.\u201CI hope they figure out who is doing it and (that person) stops because it\u2019s too close to our homes around here,\u201D said Ann Gregory, who lives across from the fire on 55th Street.\u201CSuspicious fires or arson -- whether someone is playing a prank or potentially trying to harm somebody\u2019s life -- it\u2019s life and death for individuals here,\u201D said Councilman Kevin McCarty.Those who remember the McKinley Park Fire from two years ago, which was ruled an arson, said they hope something like that never happens again.\u201CWe\u2019re playing soccer right over here. It\u2019s really nice to have all of this -- to have all of our play structures and all that. You don\u2019t want to see all of that burned again,\u201D said East Sacramento resident Mike Grinstead.Investigators said it\u2019s tough to establish arson in these cases that are started in a dumpster, or with some rubbish, with very little evidence left over.Firefighters are asking people to watch out for and report suspicious behavior."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.kcra.com/article/crews-investigate-series-of-suspicious-east-sac-fires-1/6416579>