A four-foot pile of ash and charred debris is all that remains of the Rodriguez family's two-story garage, which had been stuffed with tools, machinery, couches and appliances when a mysterious fire ripped through it earlier this month.

It was the 22nd arson that has taken place since August in a historic Houston neighborhood called the Heights, known more for its comforting small-town feel in the midst of big city sprawl than for being the center of criminal activity.

Most of the fires have taken place in the middle of the night and nearly always in abandoned structures, though flames have leapt to some adjacent occupied homes, frightening residents like the Rodriguez family.

"I just don't know when they are going to catch this guy," a dejected Jesus Rodriguez said as he stood over his truck's pickup bed, dirtied by ash and scorched pieces of wood after it had been used to haul away the debris.

Authorities charged a suspect last month for starting one of the blazes. But he has not been charged with any of the other arsons and the fires continued even after his arrest. Residents of the Heights, which sits on one of Houston's rare hills overlooking nearby downtown, have taken some comfort no one has been hurt. But they worry their property could be next.

"I don't feel like they have the person that did it," said Diane Kight, who lives across the street from a home set ablaze on Nov. 11. She was recently driving home after taking her husband to work and saw a fire truck, and immediately worried it could be speeding to her house. "It's scary."

The damage to the Rodriguez garage came when an empty house next door was set ablaze in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, and the flames quickly spread to the Rodriguez's garage in the back of their one-story brown Craftsman style bungalow, where they have lived for 25 years. The fire also damaged a portion of the back roof, now covered by a blue tarp. Two bedrooms won't be used until the roof can be fixed but it could be awhile.

"We don't have insurance. There is no money to fix it," said Jesus Rodriguez.

His son, Randall Rodriguez, 23, said the tools and machinery were part of a repair business run by his mother and were being temporarily stored in the garage until his parents could open up a new shop. The furniture and appliances belonged to Randall Rodriguez and his wife, who had temporarily moved back in with his parents. The total loss is estimated at $70,000.

The fires have kept to the Heights, a neighborhood of more than 40,000 residents first developed in 1892. Its streets are lined by majestic trees and stately Victorian-styled homes. The locally owned antiques and coffee shops and art galleries give it a laid-back atmosphere.