LORAIN — A fire yesterday evening at a vacant Central Lorain home is arson and was “done in a similar manner” to five recent arson fires a street over, according to the Lorain Fire Department.

A neighbor called about 6:30 p.m. to report a fire at 889 West 23rd Street, according to Assistant Chief Randy Hupp. West 23rd Street backs up to North Central Drive, where there have been five arson fires in the last month.

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Fire was coming from two windows in a front bedroom of the single-story home when firefighters arrived, Hupp said. A back door to the home had been broken into previous to the fire, he said.

He said the home, valued at $24,500, was a total loss.

Hupp called the most recent arson “similar” to the North Central Drive arsons.

“Doors were broken in and stuff was done in a similar manner,” he said.

Hupp couldn’t say how the fire was started but said that in the string of fires, they’ve been started “sometimes just using stuff that’s been left in the house.”

Lorain police Sgt. Mark Carpentiere said police are working in conjunction with the Lorain Fire Department to investigate the arsons and are stepping up patrols in the neighborhood.

“We ask the public to contact us or the Fire Department with any information and to call the Police Department or the Fire Department if they see anyone suspicious in that area,” Carpentiere said.

Carpentiere said his advice to residents is “be alert of of your surroundings.”

“If you see people lurking about or going in or out of abandoned buildings,” call us.

People can call the Fire Department at 204-2221, the Police Department at 204-2100 or 911 to report an emergency.

The five previous arsons were all vacant 4-unit buildings on North Central Drive.

814 and 852 North Central burned Jan. 24, and 824 and 858 North Central burned Jan. 14.

Assistant Chief Anthony Cuevas in the Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau couldn’t initially recall the date or address of the first in the string of fires but said it was before Christmas and was next door to the Jan. 24 fire at 814 North Central. That first building has already been demolished, he said.

Check back at Chroniclet.com and read Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.