By Bob Ussery
Times-Picayune
Copyright 2007 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
Firefighters in New Orleans and Metairie are investigating two fires, one termed suspicious, that displaced two people Friday night.
The suspicious fire was a three-alarm blaze that heavily damaged two vacant homes and moderately damaged a third dwelling, displacing one resident, on North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. No one was injured.
The fire broke out shortly after 10 p.m. on the lake side of Claiborne, a half-block east of St. Anthony Street, between St. Bernard and Elysian Fields avenues.
Deputy Chief Glenn Trainor said firefighters are investigating the possibility that the fire started in a vacant double Creole cottage at 1819-21 N. Claiborne because that building had the most damage. A small single shotgun house next door at 1823 N. Claiborne was also heavily damaged.
The fire then spread to an ornate camelback home at 1825 N. Claiborne Ave., doing moderate damage to the rear.
The woman who lives at 1825 N. Claiborne was unable to spend the night there because firefighters had to disconnect the electricity and gas, Trainor said.
The other two buildings had no gas or electricity and appeared to be abandoned.
The origin of the fire was considered suspicious and is under investigation, Fire Department spokesman Greg Davis said.
Firefighters were dispatched at 10:16 p.m., and the fire was reported under control at 11:07 p.m.
Earlier Friday night, a Metairie house was damaged by fire, forcing a woman and her daughter to seek shelter elsewhere, Jefferson Parish firefighters and a neighbor said.
About 8:40 p.m., firefighters were sent to 3548 Metairie Court Parkway, just south of West Esplanade Avenue, between Bonnabel and Causeway boulevards.
Cheryl Schmitt, who lives next door to the burned home, said she dialed 911 after she walked outside and saw a neighbor yelling that her house was on fire. Schmitt said she could see black smoke and flames shooting from the back of the one-story brick house.
Schmitt said firefighters arrived quickly and put out the blaze. She said the neighbor’s house appeared to be badly damaged.
Schmitt said flames from the neighbor’s house melted siding on her own house. Firefighters used blowers to remove smoke from her house, and she said she would be able to spend the night there.
She said her neighbor and a grown daughter, who was not home when the fire started, would have to spend the night elsewhere. Relatives and the Red Cross were at the scene.
Schmitt said she thought two dogs were rescued from the back yard of the burning house. The dogs were reported in good health.