JP Arson Target Burned Again

Maria's Hair Fashions, the Jamaica Plain salon that burned to the ground after a 2006 arson strike, caught fire again last night, reports Bostonist reader Melissa. The 2006 attack was part of a wave of fire bombings that swept down JP's Centre and South Streets, claiming the restaurant El Oriental de Cuba, as well. Although the damage to Maria's scorched the entire block two years ago, Boston firefighters quickly contained last night's blaze. The building was empty when the fire began, and Bostonist has heard no reports of casualties.

Melissa says:
I woke up at 4am, (from the sirens/arriving firetrucks) looked outside my window, and saw two small sets of flames rising up from the two separate sections of the salon (when the salon reopened recently, it expanded to 2 storefronts--it used to be just one). The firetrucks were already getting their hoses out at this point. I think all told it was about 7 trucks, but I'm not sure.

The memory of the 2006 blaze, which had taken place just after Melissa moved to JP, had her freaked out:

Since I had just woken up and was in a daze, I had the feeling I really wanted to stay out of the way of the firefighters, especially because I did not have information on the fire.

Whether or not this latest fire is also the product of arson remains to be seen, but the destructive force that arsonists have wreaked upon the neighborhood lingers in the back of residents' minds. With no clear answers from the last spate of attacks and the possibility that we are seeing a new round of felonious fires, a black smoke lingers over the neighborhood.

I have a huge sense of frustration and sadness over the arson incidents in my neighborhood. I know we all do in JP.

Image tagged "Bostonist" by Flickr user Blue Socks.