by Adam Ghassemi
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Vandals
set three vehicles on fire in
a Clarksville neighborhood, leaving a handful of families without a ride or
sense of safety.
D'Moniuqe
Ortiz said her family was suddenly jarred awake around 3 a.m. Monday to police
banging on her front door.
"I thought
it was in my dream," said Ortiz.
The nightmare
waiting outside was actually officers saying her Chevy Trailblazer was on fire.
"It was
all orange. You couldn't even tell that it was a black car," she said.
Ortiz said
her family had just driven to Nashville over the weekend and refilled the tank
with gasoline. Officials said the full tank could have helped fuel the fire
that spread to the side of her and her neighbor's homes.
"Everything
just started exploding," said 10-year-old neighbor Tierra Newson.
Both Tierra
and her little brother woke up and saw flames. They ran to alert their parents
and took pictures and videos of the burning SUV on an iPad.
Ortiz was one
of three neighbors whose vehicles were hit within a few blocks of each other. Investigators
said they believed the same suspect set a truck on fire on nearby Boxcroft
Court, as well as a small sedan on Gomer Road. Each incident happened within 15
minutes.
"That's
our only car right now, so it kind of puts a damper on things going on, you
know," said one neighbor who lost a small white Ford.
Just knowing
random cars were set on fire across the neighborhood had many people worried
that the next time people sleeping inside may not be so lucky.
"Our car
or our house could be next – or we could be the ones that could be seriously
hurt," Newson said.
"God
knows what would have happened. We have three kids and a dog, so we would have
all been gone," said Ortiz.
Clarksville
investigators were still working to identify a suspect or suspects. So far no
arrests have been made.
Anyone with
information about the fires should call the Clarksville Police Department's TIPSLINE at 931-645-8477.
Police said
at least two of the three cars were left unlocked, which made it easier for
someone to get inside to start the fires. They asked that people be smart and
lock their car doors.
Email: aghassemi@newschannel5.com
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