There have been 19 fires already in the city of Newark this year. Compare that to 60 for all last year.
The Newark Fire Chief explains they are investigating these fires as being set by people, but they don't know yet if they are arson.
Jen Magers lives next door to where a fire started Sunday night in Newark. Her neighbor ran in to make sure she got out OK.
“I was worried if I could even get out. I have MS. Right now I'm getting over a flare and I'm not walking real well,” she said.
Magers says it amazed her how quickly the fire jumped from house to house and was concerned her house would be next.
“I was worried I was going to lose everything. I have animals I can't take out. I have reptiles and they are all rescues. It was terrifying,” Magers explained.
Sunday night’s fire was the latest in a string of fires in the area.
“It's very taxing on our group here, on our firefighters, on our apparatus. We are already a very busy organization,” Newark Fire Chief Patrick Connor said.
Chief Connor says he's reached out to the state fire marshal's office for help investigating the nearly 20 fires.
“The state fire marshal's office brings a lot of resources in. They have [the] manpower, they have a lot of technology that they can use. Also, the lab can help us investigate,” Connor said.
With all the rumors about the fires swirling around Newark, neighbors are hoping investigators can figure out what's starting all the fires before there are more.
“I was scared. As quickly as it went, I thought our place was going to catch on fire. We did sustain quite a bit of damage,” Lawrence said.
The chief is hoping the state fire marshal's office will be able to help them investigate these fires to determine the cause.