A string of fires has Adamsville residents on alert - ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, Sports

People in the Adamsville community are trembling with fear and suspicion. One Adamsville resident Max Ramos says, "I'm just afraid someone is going around burning houses around here."

In the past two weeks, three houses within three blocks of each other on Adams Avenue caught fire in the early morning hours. Homeowner Rhoda Smith says, "Like the detective said, I had a house then five minutes later, it was burning."

Since the fires, the police department has pumped up patrols in the neighborhood. Fire Chief Scott Harbison says all three fires are under investigation. "We are doing everything we can under our power to investigate these fires. To make sure they are not arson," says Chief Harbison. He says the fire department has not yet determined the cause of the fires and says what's happening is not a trend. "If it does become a trend, the community could be rest assured we will catch the person that is doing it," says Harbison.

But community members say they are seeing a trend, and are now watchful, hoping for answers soon. "I feel like I'm next, I just don't know what to do," says Ramos.