“We have done some training there for our summer fire academy,” Springfield Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeremy Linn said. “It was one of the homes we prepped and trained recruits in, so we are pretty familiar with it.”
The fire began in the back of the house in an attached shed before spreading, according to fire crews on scene.
There were holes in the ceiling and walls of the house from training, which made it dangerous for fire crews to go inside, Linn said.
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Fire crews were able to quickly contain and put out the fire from the outside, without the fire spreading to the main structure.
However, the fire is believed to be suspicious and remains under investigation, according to Linn.
The house did not have any utilities, gas, or electric services connected to it and fire crews were unable to find a heat source in the area.
“We’re pretty confident it was a suspicious fire,” Linn said.
The last time fire crews left the house it was closed and secure, but when crews arrived, windows and doors were out of it.
Linn said as it gets colder outside, vacant house fires will become more common.
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“We risk injury and we run risk of causing damage to an occupied home,” Linn said.
Rickey Jones, who lives nearby said this news is concerning.
“People need places to stay and if they can get in to a vacant house, they will do so,” Jones said. “It’s vacant, for one thing, but then your house catches fire and everything you have is gone.”
Fire officials encourage residents living near vacant houses to keep an eye on the properties for suspicious activity.
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