“We need to encourage Lawton residents, property owners, code enforcement officers, police and fire departments to work together to address the problem of fires in vacant houses,” Fire Chief Jared Wiliams told the City Council recently.
These ‘dangerous and dilapidated’ structures drag down nearby property values and are a safety risk to children and firefighters, he said.
Vacant houses are more prone to fires because of “the lack of maintenance, lack of security of the structure, and unauthorized access from the unhomed,” he said.
Fires in vacant structures in Lawton have multiple sources, Williams related.
Intentional causes include gang activity, vandalism, juvenile delinquents, and revenge.
Accidental causes include improper disposal of flammable materials, homeless individuals seeking shelter and warmth, and electrical wiring issues, such as stretching an extension cord to a power source at a nearby structure.
Last year the Lawton Fire Department responded to 171 structure fires, records reflect. Of those, 56 of them (36%) were in vacant structures. A dozen of the incidents were deemed to be arson, 13 were accidental, and the causes of the other 31 could not be determined.
Of the structure fires last year, 38 of them (22%) were ruled to have been caused by arson. A dozen of those incidents were referred to the Comanche County District Attorney.
Also last year, 20 municipal citations were issued for negligent burning and burning of trash and debris, Williams said, and since January the Lawton Fire Department has issued six tickets ensuing from fires in three vacant structures.
In a related matter, City Manager John Ratliff noted that by April 1 “we’ll have 40 D&Ds submitted to the City Council each month.” When those properties are demolished, the vacant lots “become beacons for litter and vagrants,” he said.
“We need to incentivize redevelopment of these lots,” Ratliff said.