Sacramento's South Land Park community concerned over Freeport Boulevard fires
SACRAMENTO – Fires on Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento are lighting up concerns for neighbors as they now demand enforcement from the city.
The latest fire happened Sunday afternoon at AMF Land Park Lanes, a bowling alley. It was forced to shut down. Customer King Shabazz said it's been a popular place to bowl for generations of families.
"There's a lot of history here," he said. "There's a lot of people that have been here for years, decades, grew up here, so it's real sad."
He had a chance to see all the damage inside.
"All the soot and smoke is covering the whole lanes," Shabazz said.
Firefighters say it appears the blaze started as a couch fire outside the business and then spread inside through the attic.
Jennifer Holden, president of the nearby Mangan Park Neighborhood Association, said it's just the latest in a series of suspicious fires along the Freeport Boulevard corridor.
"We've been losing a business every six months for a few years due to these fires," she said.
Last April, a similar fire broke out just two blocks away behind the Hong Kong Islander restaurant on the boulevard, and it remains closed due to the damage. That fire also started in debris outside the back of the business and spread inside.
Both locations are within a block of Sacramento's police and fire headquarters building.
"Freeport is just a thriving community, and it's just sad to see something like this happen," Shabazz said.
"It is extremely disturbing," Holden said. "We are frightened for ourselves and our neighbors and our businesses."
Holden said the backsides of both businesses are spots frequented by people experiencing homelessness, and she continues to reach out to city leaders to ask for more enforcement efforts.
"Whenever anything like this happens, it leaves everyone concerned for who's next and how bad will it be," she said.