HOUSTON – What started as a trash problem in one southeast Houston neighborhood has now become a safety concern for families who live there.
Residents in the city’s Gulfgate area say trash piles have gone from a nuisance to a danger after someone started setting them and even dumpsters on fire.
They say it’s happened several times over the last two weeks, including three fires on the same night, all within a few blocks of Joplin Street.
“You go to bed, and you don’t know if it’s a crazy person or what happening or who is doing it,” said Raul Diaz, who lives along Joplin.
Neighbors say it was their dogs who sounded the alarm during one of the overnight fires.
“If it wasn’t for these barks,” residents say they might not have seen what was happening outside.
Surveillance video captured just before 2 a.m. on Nov. 14 shows a man walk up to a trash pile outside a home on Joplin Street. Moments later, the pile is burning, and the man walks away.
“There was a large blaze in here,” Diaz said, pointing to where the fire burned.
Diaz says firefighters responded quickly and put that fire out, but the night was far from over.
“They called the fire department put it out immediately and then while they were out they said there was another blaze,” he said.
That second fire was less than 500 feet away at a nearby apartment complex. Ring doorbell video shows the same man looking into a dumpster. A few moments later, the dumpster goes up in flames.
“When I came outside, I saw a big fire. It was dumpster fire,” said a man who lives at the complex and saw the flames.
Neighbors say a third trash pile also burned that same night at the intersection of Joplin and De Leon.
“So, there was three fires that night. So, the police came and did an arson report,” Diaz said.
Over the weekend, the owner of a wholesale store in the area said their dumpster also caught fire.
On Tuesday, charred branches, burned trash and a scorched tree were still visible along Joplin. One neighbor says that tree “could’ve easily caught fire,” and many worry about what could happen if the flames spread.
As for the piles of bulky trash that sit on the curb for weeks, residents say they’re only making a bad situation worse.
“Trash is still here. It should have been picked up over a week ago. Every month it’s the same thing the trash is always here,” Diaz said.
No one has been hurt, but neighbors say they’re afraid that could change.
“The trees are dry and grass dry and it hasn’t rained so we are very concerned for our peace of mind,” Diaz said.
At this point, it’s still unclear if all of the fires are connected or if the same person is responsible for each one. Houston police and Houston Fire Department investigators are looking into the incidents.
Council Member Joaquin Martinez, who represents the area, said in a statement that he encourages residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. The landlord at the apartment complex and the nearby business owner say they plan to file official reports.
Neighbors along Joplin say they just want the fires to stop and the trash piles that fuel them cleaned up.