Two fires in one house in one week. Both are considered suspicious, and the empty home on Massasoit Place in Springfield is now nothing more than a charred shell. But neighbors say this home has been a problem for much longer than this past week, and they want the mess behind cleaned up.

Complaints about the home at 21 Massasoit Place had already been working their way through the legal system. In fact, just week's ago the city officials tell us the homeowner, Ramona Ramos, had been cited by a city inspector for rubbish and debris in the back yard.

But, before the court could do anything about the property, two suspicious fires left it destroyed.

Luz Hickey grew up in this neighborhood, and says for the past year and a half, the empty house across the street has been a problem.

Luz Hickey says "We've had people going in and out of there and as a neighborhood, all of us that grew up here, we are always keeping eyes on the abandoned buildings here. We see someone, we call the police department right away or we chase them out of the neighborhood. If you don't belong here we don't want you here!"

Thursday night, she was there, just across the street as 21 Massasoit Place went up in flames. She says this fire was different from the smaller one that broke out last week.

Luz Hickey says: "It wasn't a normal fire, it was a really hot, hot fire. And like I had told you before, we felt, most of us in the neighborhood, that it was an arson fire."

And investigators agree. Right now the Springfield arson and bomb squad considers it to be very suspicious. Fire department spokesman Dennis Leger says so far, it looks like the fire started on the front porch.

Springfield's mayor says now a process begins... To figure out what's next for the property.

Domenic Sarno, Springfield Mayor, says: "Obviously we're trying to be aggressive as we can be with funding resources on demolishing homes, but first a process has to take forth whether it's privately owned, and or tax-title, and or city. And then we'll take the appropriate actions to try to safeguard the neighborhood."

In the meantime, Hickey says she and her neighbors will continue to be vigilant. "We have to make sure the kids don't go in this building, 'cause for me looking at it, it could fall down. If there was a child in there and something happens. What they really need to do is get someone down here and tear it down."

Of course, no demolition can happen until investigators determine the cause of the fire, and if its arson, figure out who started it.

City officials say the building division will seek to place a hold on any pending insurance money.