The FBI says Flint had 287 arsons last year. That number down from 343 the year before but still much higher than any other city in the country.
Flint's Kevin Stange says, "It's deplorable to see this city and the houses that were beautiful being burned." Stange lives on Belle Avenue on the city's eastside and maintains the properties no longer have houses on them.
He wishes the city would knock down the remaining abandoned houses so they're not a target.
Firefighters say they're spent.
"Our personnel here is taxed on a daily basis. They go home on their two days off, and the first day is just resting," says Flint Firefighters Union president Trent Farnsworth.
When it comes to arson, firefighters risk their safety to save a structure often unoccupied and tax payers have to pay for it.
"The frustrating part is when we pull up on a scene, it's usually unoccupied, boarded up, we look at the adjacent structures. That's what we focus on," says Farnsworth.
Neighbors say people often set homes on fire to see if there's metal inside to scrap.
Those on Belle Avenue live in fear wondering if it'll happen near them.
"I've got a home that sits no more than a couple feet from mine and if it's lit on fire, I'm going to lose everything I got."
