HOT PROPERTY: Huge Dumpster Fire Is Second Blaze At Old Leona’s Restaurant This Summer

A large dumpster fire behind the former Leona’s restaurant, 3215 N. Sheffield, early Saturday is one of the latest alley fires to be reported in our area.

Neither police nor fire investigators have officially deemed the fire to be suspicious. The restaurant’s back porch burned in a fire on June 6. That wasn’t officially suspicious either.

Two weeks ago, however,  prosecutors charged 22-year-old Eric Howard with setting two arson fires at a building just three doors north of Leona’s.

Howard, on parole for burglary at the time of the fires, was returned to prison last Thursday.

Other trash or alley fires were reported in our area last week on the 600 block of Roscoe, the 1200 block of Cornelia, and the 3000 block of Lincoln. None of them has been classified as criminal in nature.

Early on June 25, surveillance video captured images of two men apparently setting fire to trash in the 3000 block of Sheffield. That fire spread to two occupied coach house, which were heavily damaged. No one has been arrested in the case, which the fire department said was not suspicious—until DNAInfo Chicago released the video.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com