By Sevanah Sandoval
On Saturday, February 24th at 3pm seven fire trucks, two ambulances, and Vallejo police responded to a myriad of 911 calls regarding a fire in the Target on Admiral Callaghan Lane (The Vallejo Sun). According to captain of the Vallejo Fire Department, Kevin Brown, there was an estimated $1 million in damages to the store.
The Vallejo Fire Department was able to extinguish the fire within ten minutes of their arrival to the scene, just after Target employees finished evacuating the store. However, an area of about 20 x 30 feet was burned (The Vallejo Sun). One Target employee was treated on site for smoke inhalation and did not need to be taken to the hospital. Other than this, no injuries were reported.
As of Sunday night, no arrests have been made. However, investigators have confirmed that the fire was set intentionally. Currently, the Vallejo Fire Department and Vallejo Police Department are working together to identify a suspect for the crime.
While Target has no set reopening date, Target’s website reports that the location will be closed until at least Sunday, March 2nd.
This event is hardly surprising with the rising crime rates in Vallejo. As shown in the graph above by BestPlaces, Vallejo crime rates are substantially higher than those of California and the US, and this has been the case for a number of years. Further, BestPlaces stated that “The crime in Vallejo, CA is much higher than the average for both violent and property crimes. This makes it a dangerous place to live, and something that residents have to be aware of.”
In sum, it is unsurprising that Vallejo Target has become the victim of arson. Recently, the Vallejo Police Department even installed cameras into the Target parking lot to protect against auto theft in response to high crime rates. The trend of rising crime in Vallejo has been going on for over twenty years, and a solution has yet to be implemented.
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