Oregon asks tips on 2 fires Monday on Corduroy Rd.

8/1/2007

Oregon authorities are looking for anyone who might have information regarding two suspected arson fires and several acts of criminal mischief that occurred early Monday on Corduroy Road between Lallendorf and Stadium roads.

City police and firefighters responded to a barn engulfed in flames at 4811 Corduroy after a neighbor called to report the blaze, Oregon police Detective Randy Jacobs said.

The barn was deemed a total loss, but monetary damages were not available last night.

While police were investigating that fire, another Oregon resident reported an arson attempt in a 1991 Ford pickup parked at 4701 Corduroy, the detective said. He said someone had entered the vehicle, taken some personal items, and tried to ignite the interior. There was a small amount of damage inside the cab, done by the fire before it extinguished itself.

Police said the arsons could be linked to a fire that destroyed Complete Laundering Service Inc., 638 North Lallendorf, on July 21 because of its proximity to the other fires, Detective Jacobs said.

Also Monday morning, Detective Jacobs said, several residents living on Corduroy reported a number of acts of criminal mischief.

Two residents reported items were taken from their yards and left in the middle of the road. Another said items in the backyard had been shuffled around.

Another resident said someone broke into his shed, threw items in his backyard pond, pushed a boat into the water, and smashed the windshield of his car, which was parked in the driveway.

Witnesses reported that several juveniles on bicycles were seen and heard in the area of the barn fire just before the blaze. The detective said police are attempting to identify the teenagers so they can be questioned.