# Lockdown fires now a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [May 14, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792 "2020-05-14T16:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/1 "2020-05-14T16:00:04Z")
Anybody hearing stories of locked down local businesses burning? There have been three around here in the past few days – usually go years without hearing about one. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/2 "2020-05-14T17:35:08Z")
We had [this](https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2020/04/20/fire-anderson-sc-strip-mall-did-3-million-damage-atf-says/5166728002/) happen on a Sunday morning. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/3 "2020-05-14T17:38:43Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > Anybody hearing stories of locked down local businesses burning? There have been three around here in the past few days – usually go years without hearing about one. It may be the work of a single arsonist rather than a general trend. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/4 "2020-05-14T20:00:43Z")
Businesses that were losing money and figured they could collect insurance? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/5 "2020-05-14T22:43:57Z")
Where I am, I haven’t heard of that happening, not on purpose, anyway. If a building is abandoned, or at least nobody comes by to check on things regularly, it’s easy to see how a fire could start and not be detected until it’s caused a lot of damage. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/6 "2020-05-16T23:24:23Z")
I am surprised this hasn’t happened more by now. I work and walk back home and see all sorts of businesses that are not open and am surprised burglary, vandalism and arson aren’t up, seeing as these places are unattended for some time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lockdown-fires-now-a-thing/853792/7 "2020-05-17T02:00:38Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > I am surprised this hasn’t happened more by now. I work and walk back home and see all sorts of businesses that are not open and am surprised burglary, vandalism and arson aren’t up, seeing as these places are unattended for some time. With the general lockdown, there are fewer people out traveling around so criminals roaming around a neighborhood to commit a crime have less cover.