ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Firefighters are concerned in Royal Oak by a string of suspicious car fires that continued Saturday morning with two more vehicles torched, bringing the total over the last month to nine.
A truck and a minivan were set on fire near Bauman and Ferris avenues around 5 a.m.
The truck was parked on the street. The minivan was parked in a driveway.
“We woke up to the fire," said Joe Verla. "We heard pops and ran to the window and saw it burning.”
Verla and Molly, a young couple, recently moved into the neighborhood. It was her truck that was torched.
“I just hope someone gets caught,” Verla said. “It’s ridiculous this is happening.”
Nine vehicles have gone up in flames since Nov. 23 in Royal Oak and fire investigators say the crimes are connected.
All nine of the vehicle fires have been near Rochester Road between 13 and 14 Mile roads, usually between 3 and 5 a.m.
READ: Suspicious vehicle fires under investigation in Royal Oak
Fire investigators say that the firebug is targeting unlocked cars.
“This is the third one that has been in a driveway next to a house or structure,” said Mark Olsen, Royal Oak fire inspector. “It’s getting a little too close to where people are living.”
No one has been injured in any of the fires.