Illinois fire marshals are investigating what the Lawrenceville fire chief is calling suspicious circumstances surrounding two fires.

Firefighters in Lawrenceville, Ill., got calls around 3 a.m. Friday about a fire on Lexington Avenue and on Fifth Street.

Leah Wheeler, who rents the house on 306 Lexington Avenue, says she awoke at 2:50 a.m. to her house on fire.

The neighboring home at 308 sits abandoned and had been allegedly set on fire, causing the explosion to catch her home.

“Everybody as a nutshell in this community is sick and tired of this,” Wheeler told WTWO. “I mean, you know, nobody needs to live in fear going to bed every night, whether or not their house is going to burn down.”

The second fire occured at 1418 5th street, blocks away from Wheeler’s home.

Mike Messord, Lawrenceville fire chief, called the fires suspicious.

Keep checking WTWO/WAWV on air and online for more information on this developing story.