STATE INVESTIGATORS CALLED TO LOOK INTO ‘SUSPICIOUS’ WASHINGTON CO. HOUSE FIRE

  

The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called to investigate a house fire near the Washington-Burleson County line that has been deemed “suspicious” by local firefighters.

Around 3 a.m. Sunday morning, the Prairie Hill and Meyersville Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a structure fire on FM 50 at Jerry Lane.

According to Prairie Hill Deputy Chief Doug Zwiener, the house, a single-story brick structure, was “nothing but a brick wall shell” when units arrived at the scene, with only the walls left standing.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about three and a half hours.  The structure was vacant, and no injuries were reported.

Zwiener said there are a “lot of unanswered questions” with this fire, saying he estimates the house had been burning for at least an hour before anyone noticed it.  He also said the burn patterns on some of the brick and the observation that the back door of the house appeared to have been kicked in threw up a “lot of red flags.”

Arson investigators from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were called to examine the scene and, according to Zwiener, agree that some of the circumstances behind the fire are suspicious.  A cause and determination team from the State Fire Marshal’s Office is expected to arrive today (Monday) for further investigation.