1st Ward arson

Our 1st annual Head Buried Beneath the Sand Award goes to Laura Kelly, Executive Director of the Old 1st Ward Community Center. Kelly had this to say in today's Buffalo News, regarding allegations that someone in the neighborhood burned down an unoccupied house because the owner (from the Republic of Congo) was black...

"It's just opposite to everything I know about my community," said Kelly, director of the Old First Ward Community Center. "It just doesn't seem like my neighborhood."

What neighborhood has she been working in the last several years? Kelly is either the most naive person on the planet or it's second biggest liar (nobody could ever replace Lou "Pinocchio" Petrucci.)

I will say this, however. The people I know down in the Old 1st Ward (I worked at the Community Center for six years) would not condone burning anybody's house down because of their skin color. Now, if the person was dealing drugs or causing problems in the neighborhood, it might be a different story. Unless it is the work of one very ignorant person, my sixth sense tells me there's more at play here. I just don't see a group of people conspiring to do something like this. I hope the FBI looks at all of the facts before jumping to any conclusions.
Fires fueled by hate?

In fact, we have some actual footage from Republic Street down in the Old 1st Ward, proving that everyone gets along down there...

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Boston Hotel fire

An insurance company is claiming the fire at the Boston Hotel, thought to be accidentall, was actually caused by an arsonist. Town officials and residents are reportedly very surprised by this revelation. The owner, William Dellamore, is adamant that arson was not the motive...

The afternoon of the fire Jan. 28, 2009, Dellamore said, he was in the restaurant, with two cooks in the kitchen and eight to 10 people in the bar.

“Nobody burned it down,” he said. “It’s impossible, that’s my opinion.”

He said a grease fire started in the vent above the stove in the kitchen. Fire damaged the kitchen area and second-story roof.

Sounds like there is more to this story. Either the truth will come out, or it will be the topic of town folklore for quite some time...

Arson revelation stuns officials - Southern Erie County - The Buffalo News

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This is happening around here...

Friends don't let friends try to burn their house down after getting into a bar fight with them. I'd say this guy needs to work on his anger management issues behind bars for quite some time. No wonder some of these kids don't know how to resolve disputes peacefully. Look at how some of the adults around them do it.

Guilty plea entered in bid to torch home

A West Seneca man pleaded guilty to second-degree arson Friday for trying to burn down a former friend’s South Buffalo house in revenge after the man beat him up in a bar fight.
Craig Whalen, 34, of Seneca Street, has been jailed since his arrest minutes after the early-morning arson last Oct. 25. State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller told him he faces an eight-year prison term when sentenced July 12.

Prosecutor Paul J. Williams III told the judge Whalen, a laborer, had been kicked out of his West Seneca flat by his girlfriend and went out drinking, only to get into a fight at a bar on Seneca Street in Buffalo with the former friend.

Whalen, who used to live at 82 Minerals Springs Road, the scene of the arson, broke into the basement and used his cigarette lighter to set cardboard boxes full of toys and clothes on fire, Williams said. The fire was quickly put.

The sad part is what about the people who live next door to 82 Mineral Springs? The fire could have easily spread to their homes. This person obviously doesn't think about how his actions affect others.