Arson investigation underway after West Lawn car fires
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Three vehicles were set on fire in Chicago's West Lawn neighborhood early Thursday morning, investigators said.
When firefighters arrived at the scene on South Kildare Avenue near West 63rd Street just after 3:20 a.m., the vehicles were engulfed by flames.
The fires were extinguished within the hour. No one was hurt. But the vehicles were reduced to their frames - windows were blown out, tires melted and the interiors were scorched. Cars parked nearby, like Christian Nava's Honda, were also damaged.
"It's slightly burned from the first car, in the bumper. The lights are melted off. That's pretty much it," Nava said.
He said he's thankful he and his father were fast asleep when their car was damaged. It was parked in front of an SUV that went up in flames.
Chicago Police Bomb and Arson investigators were called to the scene. Two neighbors told ABC7 Eyewitness News the three burned vehicles belong to the same family.
"One of the neighbors came out and said they were all his cars," said a neighbor who did not wish to be identified. He was glad the fire didn't spread.
"It's a little nerve wracking, considering that I thought my house was on fire. It was just the cars. That was good," he said.
Investigators have not said whether they have identified a suspect or whether they have anyone in custody.
