Fire bomb blamed for Sioux City fire
1:30 AM
By Molly Montagmmontag@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- Police say a Tuesday night house fire that started when a homemade fire bomb exploded against a window may be gang-related.
Sioux City Police Lt. Marti Reilly said Wednesday that the fire at 311 14th Street remains under investigation, but he said police believe the incident might be gang-related. No suspects have been arrested at this time.
A suspect would be charged with terrorism, which arson is a part of, according to Reilly. The class B felony carries a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Sioux City police and firefighters were called about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday to a four-unit, two-story house, where they found a fire in the downstairs apartment. Reilly said Mary and Josh Bass reside at the apartment.
Sioux City Fire Marshal Chuck Hirsch said Tuesday night that the arson fire was started by a Molotov cocktail, which is a glass container filled with a flammable liquid that explodes on contact.
Everyone escaped the four-unit complex without injury, he said.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots fired around the time the fire bomb exploaded, according to Reilly.
Erin Lee, who lives in an upstairs apartment at 311 14th St., said she heard glass shatter and a car drive through the ally next to her house. As she and her roommate hurried down the stairwell to get outside, Lee said they heard gunshots and more glass shattering.
"We heard some shots and their big window shattered and their apartment was in flames," said Lee, 27.
Malinda Steele saw the fire as she drove up to the house to pick up her cousin, who also lives in an upstairs apartment.
Flames were coming out the window of the downstairs apartment and up to the top of the porch, she said.
"I pulled up and it was on fire," said Steele, of Sioux City. "It was lit up."
Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly, but stayed at the scene until after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The fire caused relatively minor damage to the building, Hirsch said, with the most damage in the living room and porch of the downstairs apartment.
The Siouxland Chapter of the American Red Cross was on the scene to assist residents of the house, which was red-tagged as uninhabitable.
Sioux City Police Lt. Marti Reilly said Wednesday that the fire at 311 14th Street remains under investigation, but he said police believe the incident might be gang-related. No suspects have been arrested at this time.
A suspect would be charged with terrorism, which arson is a part of, according to Reilly. The class B felony carries a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Sioux City police and firefighters were called about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday to a four-unit, two-story house, where they found a fire in the downstairs apartment. Reilly said Mary and Josh Bass reside at the apartment.
Sioux City Fire Marshal Chuck Hirsch said Tuesday night that the arson fire was started by a Molotov cocktail, which is a glass container filled with a flammable liquid that explodes on contact.
Everyone escaped the four-unit complex without injury, he said.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots fired around the time the fire bomb exploaded, according to Reilly.
Erin Lee, who lives in an upstairs apartment at 311 14th St., said she heard glass shatter and a car drive through the ally next to her house. As she and her roommate hurried down the stairwell to get outside, Lee said they heard gunshots and more glass shattering.
"We heard some shots and their big window shattered and their apartment was in flames," said Lee, 27.
Malinda Steele saw the fire as she drove up to the house to pick up her cousin, who also lives in an upstairs apartment.
Flames were coming out the window of the downstairs apartment and up to the top of the porch, she said.
"I pulled up and it was on fire," said Steele, of Sioux City. "It was lit up."
Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly, but stayed at the scene until after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The fire caused relatively minor damage to the building, Hirsch said, with the most damage in the living room and porch of the downstairs apartment.
The Siouxland Chapter of the American Red Cross was on the scene to assist residents of the house, which was red-tagged as uninhabitable.
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