The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined an under-construction house in La Center destroyed by fire was likely arson — one in a series of suspected arsons in the area targeting unfinished buildings, officials say.
Assistant Clark County Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson said Thursday the fire at a house being built on West 13th Street, near La Center city limits, was determined to likely be arson “mainly because there is no other (ignition) source available. There was no electricity hooked up to the building.”
Construction workers left the site long before the fire was started and called in, so the time gap was too great to have been discarded smoking materials, he said.
Clark County Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched at 2:12 a.m. Feb. 28 to the house, which did not yet have an exact address. It was being built near the northwest corner of 13th Street and Aspen Avenue.
The first fire engine arrived in about seven minutes. The crew found a single-story home “with heavy fire throughout the building,” Division Chief Ben Peeler said.
It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the blaze under control. Crews stayed at the scene for four hours to ensure the fire was completely extinguished and to assist the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office in investigating the cause.
At that time, Eavenson said the unfinished building was a total loss. The house was just about ready to have sheetrock installed, he said.
“There have been other incidents in the area where things were burnt on work sites,” Eavenson said Thursday.
Clark County Fire & Rescue crews were also dispatched at 2:09 a.m. Friday to West 10th Street and Aspen Avenue for a report of a residential fire.
Chief John Nohr said there was a small fire in a house under construction. The fire was noticed by a neighbor who was letting their dog outside and saw a glow coming from the building, Nohr said.
Three engines and a ladder truck quickly responded and extinguished the fire, he said. Firefighters were on scene for about 1 1/2 hours to assist the fire marshal and La Center police officers who responded to investigate.
The fire was possibly arson, Nohr said. Similar to the February incident, there was no ignition source in the house, he said.
“It was major in the sense that it’s possibly the latest in a string of arsons,” Nohr said. “We work with the fire marshal and La Center police but only to a certain extent. They’re the leads on the investigation.”
Efforts to reach La Center Police Chief Marc Denny for more information Friday were unsuccessful.
