Chase Shustack

Under a bed frame, first responders found the cauterized body of a man.

He most likely believed the heavy cotton mattress would shelter him.

A woman had mistaken a broom closet for an exit and had been crushed by a falling shelf.

And this wasn't to mention the pile of bodies waist deep that had been burned into a single blackened mass of twisted limbs and burnt fabric found near the store's service exit.

The stench of charred linen and scorched flesh hung through the waterlogged store, and one fireman left the store to vomit after discovering a tiny body trampled in the rush to escape.

The second revelation emerged a few hours later.

Witness statements from survivors described how the usual fire exits had been blocked shut, with one door sealed via the panic release jammed by a crowbar.

there had been no fire alarm.

The patrons were only alerted when a plume of choking black smoke burst into the showroom.

It was as if someone had deliberately blocked the exits to cause as much death as possible.

A horrifying theory only strengthened when the fire marshal discovered two empty gasoline cans and a pair of gardening gloves in the dumpster across the street.

This struck the town of Siskin with all the pain of an oncoming fever.

Not only were 15 dead in such a terrible fire, but the marshal pointed to a culprit.

One of their own was responsible for the crime.

They had a few suspects already lined up.

A former employee caught stealing from deposits, a vagrant known for his petty vandalism, and a couple of teenagers spotted hanging around the plaza up to no good.

Theories ranged from revenge to insurance fraud, along with simpler explanations, like a sick prank gone horribly wrong.

And now, the people of Siskin feared more destruction was to come.

To have two fires happen in the span of only a few days was, after all, something that did not happen here, and some of the older, more nervous residents worried for their homes and businesses.

But the Siskin Fire Department, in a press conference led by Fire Chief Green, assured the townspeople that everything was under control.