Suspicious fire in city destroys vacant house
A suspicious fire destroyed a vacant home Wednesday night on the 300 block of East Jefferson Street in Butler, authorities said.
No one was injured in the fire that was called in by a passing motorist about 9:30 p.m.
The two-story house has not been occupied for some time and there were no utilities connected there, said Butler Fire Chief Nick Ban.
“There was heavy fire upon arrival on the front first floor of the structure,” Ban said.
The VA Butler Healthcare fire department assisted city fire crews.
Butler police helped evacuate tenants from a small apartment building next to the home, which is one house east of May’s Music Shoppe.
Firefighters quickly had the blaze under control but the ground floor was gutted. No other buildings or homes were damaged,
Ban said he planned to have the house condemned today. He did not know who owned it, but online records listed the owner with an address in Nashville, Tenn.
Investigators did not immediately know how long the house had been vacant but there did not appear to be any furniture inside and the fenced-in backyard was overgrown by weeds several feet tall.
Ban estimated the damage at $25,000. He said the property has a value of $55,000.
City fire crews were back at the station about 11 p.m.
