Neighbors express concern about abandoned properties after fire in Russell neighborhood

NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE VACANT HOUSES ON THEIR STREET. LEE LATE MONDAY NIGHT, NEIGHBORS IN THE RUSSELL NEIGHBORHOOD SAID THEY WOKE UP TO SEE HEAVY SMOKE AND FLAMES RIGHT OUTSIDE THEIR WINDOWS. IT WAS REALLY SMOKY OUT HERE. YOU COULDN’T EVEN SEE THE BLAZES UP REALLY, REALLY HIGH. THEN IT SPREAD TO THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR, WHICH THEY WERE RENOVATING. LOUISVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE SCENE ON WEST JEFFERSON STREET, THREE HOMES WERE ENGULFED IN FLAMES. CAPTAIN DONOVAN SIMS SAYS THEY WERE CALLED TO THIS POSSIBLE ABANDONED HOUSE FIRE JUST AFTER 11 MONDAY NIGHT. AT THE TIME OF THAT FIRE CAME IN, IT WAS KIND OF WE HAD HIGH WINDS AT THAT TIME. SO THAT FIRE WAS WIND DRIVEN. SIMS SAYS DUE TO THOSE CONDITIONS AND THE EXTENT OF THE FIRE, IT TOOK ROUGHLY 60 FIREFIGHTERS ABOUT AN HOUR TO GET THE FLAMES UNDER CONTROL. WE’RE GOING TO LOOK TO PROTECT ALL THE SURROUNDING EXPOSURES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT FIRE DOES NOT SPREAD. WHILE A FOURTH HOME, WHICH WAS OCCUPIED, HAD SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL TRYING TO DETERMINE JUST HOW MANY OF THE HOUSES WERE VACANT. BUT NEIGHBORS LIKE LEONARD ROBINSON SAY THE ABANDONED PROPERTIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE DEFINITELY A SOURCE OF CONCERN. IT’S KIND OF SCARY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY HAVE FIRES, A LOT AROUND HERE. ROBINSON LIVES NEXT TO A VACANT HOUSE AND SAYS WITH JUST FEET BETWEEN HIS HOME AND THE PROPERTY, A FIRE NEXT DOOR COULD EASILY PUT HIS HOUSE AT RISK. IT’S MORE PROBABLE THAT IT WOULD GET DAMAGED AND IF THEY TORE IT DOWN, THEN IT WOULD KIND OF ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. LOUISVILLE FIRE SAYS IT’S IMPORTANT NEIGHBORS WHO LIVE NEXT TO ABANDONED PROPERTIES OR HAVE ISSUES CALL 311 TO REPORT THEM AND REMAIN VIGILANT TO HELP KEEP THEIR NEIGHBORHOO