Fire hits Jamaica Plain again

An early morning blaze ripped through three businesses yesterday on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, fueling residents' and shop owners' fears that a serial arsonist is targeting their neighborhood.

The fire was the fourth to hit Jamaica Plain businesses in 13 months. Two have been ruled arson with no suspects arrested, and the other two, including yesterday's, are under investigation, fire officials said.

No one was hurt in yesterday's blaze, but it caused an estimated $250,000 in damage, destroying a real estate agency and damaging a nail salon and clothing shop on the busy commercial strip teeming with businesses and apartments. Damage from two earlier fires totaled about $1.4 million; an estimate was not available yesterday for the latest blaze.

Some business owners said they are frustrated that the Fire Department has not provided more information about the series of fires, which many people believe are connected.

``I'm deeply concerned," said Kathy Mainzer, co-owner of the Milky Way Lounge and Lanes and Bella Luna Restaurant. ``I just feel that we need some answers from the Fire Department. Is there some sick person who has some sort of twisted game plan or vendetta?"

The first fire occurred in July 2005, when someone lobbed a device fire officials likened to a Molotov cocktail into El Oriental de Cuba, a popular Cuban restaurant on Centre Street.

On March 24, an arsonist doused the wall of Maria's Hair Fashions on South Street with gasoline and ignited a blaze that tore through three other stores.

Last Thursday, another early morning fire charred a row of businesses on Washington Street, damaging a dentist's office, a pizza shop, a check-cashing establishment, and an insurance agency.

The locations and similarities among the fires lead some to suspect that the same person or group is responsible.

``I'm disgusted by it," said Councilor John Tobin, who represents Jamaica Plain. ``I don't know what the connection is, but it would seem there has to be a connection somewhere."

Asked about the possibility of a serial arsonist, Fire Department spokesman Scott Salman said investigators are ``trying to look at everything."

The cause of yesterday's fire is undetermined, he said.

It started about 3:30 a.m. at Pondside Realty at 619 Centre St., which has been run for about a decade by the Stamatoses, a family of Greek descent that owns several other properties and businesses in the neighborhood, including a gas station across the street.

One neighbor, who declined to give his name for fear of retribution, said he heard the sound of glass breaking as he fell asleep yesterday morning.

``I just assumed it was bottles breaking," he said. When he looked outside his window, he said, the building was engulfed in flames.

Chris Stamatos, a property manager who has worked at Pondside Realty for five years, arrived at the scene about 4 a.m., after a neighbor of the building called to tell him about the fire.

``I was speechless," said Stamatos, 26.

Yesterday afternoon, he stood on Centre Street and looked at the burned remains. The fire destroyed the office, leaving charred computer monitors and blackened office chairs. A tank of fish that Stamatos kept in the corner and several Greek figurines that had been placed in the window were destroyed.

The fire even spread to a sport utility vehicle parked a few feet from the office, melting the paint on the driver's side.

The fire heavily damaged two other shops, Eleganzar Boutique and Fantasy Nails, in the building, which is owned by the Stamatos family.

Stamatos's cousin, Pearl Dionysopoulos, lives across the street with her five children, ages 2 to 8, and her mother, Helen Giannopoulos, 46, who relies on a walker.

Yesterday the two women said they were grateful the fire had not reached their house, which is less than 20 feet from the real estate office.

``We were lucky the firemen kept it under control and it didn't spread further," Giannopoulos said. ``If there was wind, it could have hit us.. . . We'd be gone."

The owners of the buildings burned last year and in March also are of Greek descent, leading some to speculate that the fires could have been ethnically motivated.

``Whether someone has something against Greeks is really something very disturbing," said Nobel Garcia, owner of El Cafetal. The restaurant and an apartment building above it, which are owned by John Kariotis, who is Greek, were destroyed by the 2005 fire.

``It's crazy. It's unbelievable," said Kariotis.

William Kilroy, who owns the one-story building on Washington Street that was damaged last week, said fire inspectors still do not know what caused the fire at his property, which began about 2 a.m.

Kilroy, who is of Irish descent, said he hopes to hear that the fire that hit his property was accidental.

``I hope it's not an arsonist," he said. ``I hope it's not some kind of maniac going around."

Tobin said he has asked city fire officials to come to the neighborhood and meet with business owners. He said Acting Fire Commissioner Kevin MacCurtain told him he planned to come to Jamaica Plain this week or early next week.

``I think the leadership of the Fire Department has to come out to the community and try to allay a lot of fear," Tobin said. ``The problem is that we have a person or persons out there, and people are fearful of where they'll strike next."

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.