On Wednesday, the Selma Fire Department (SFD) responded to what Ward 7 Selma City Councilwoman Jannie Thomas said was the fourth abandoned house fire in her ward.

Thomas claims that on L.L. Anderson Avenue lies numerous abandoned homes that have been vacant for some time.

While the cause of the most recent house fire is still unknown and the cause of the other house fires have not been released by the SFD, the causes are limited with nobody living in the home.

That would be true if there wasn’t the possibility of squatters in the homes.

Safebee.com weighed in on the possible hazards of abandoned homes in neighborhoods.

“That abandoned house down the street may lure criminals and other varmints, such as rats. It could even catch on fire. In other words, it’s a potential hazard to the neighborhood, especially to kids who might be tempted to explore it,” according to the website.

Patrick Sisson with the website Curbed, wrote about the high cost of abandoned property in 2018 and wrote about how it is almost an epidemic in some cities.

In Selma, there are numerous abandoned homes and not just in Ward 7.

At the Wednesday fire, Thomas voiced the need for the homes to be taken out of the neighborhoods.

We agree.

If nobody is planning on using these homes and nobody is planning to live in or rehabilitate the homes, they should be removed to prevent hazards such as Wednesday’s house fire from occurring.

The fire could have spread to other homes on L.L. Anderson Avenue.

Whether the cause of the fires were malicious or natural accidents, the hazards of abandoned structure fires are something that must be addressed in keeping our neighborhoods safe.

Let us hope that the fire investigators can determine the cause of the fire and that a plan can be put in place to addressing abandoned homes in Selma.