Officials are looking for a juvenile suspected of being connected with a house fire that occurred in the 100 block of Craven Street at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Nacogdoches Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger.
The previous residents of the home were deceased, and no one was living in the residence at the time of the fire, Kiplinger said.
Keith Lansdale/The Daily Sentinel |
Nacogdoches firefighters battle a blaze in a house on Craven Street.
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"There was no electricity or gas running to the residence," Kiplinger said, "which leads us to believe it was caused by a person, either accidentally or maliciously."
Moments before the fire started, a neighbor reported seeing a 13- or 14-year-old black male juvenile wearing a dark colored shirt leaving the yard on a small BMX-style bicycle, Kiplinger said.
Smoke was seen at the residence soon after by the neighbor, who called 911.
"It was started on an enclosed front porch under a dining room table that was sitting there," Kiplinger said. "The juvenile was most likely playing with either flame or matches, or (he) intentionally set the fire. We can't determine that until we find who did it."
The Nacogdoches Fire Department cleared the scene around 5:30 p.m.
The fire is currently being investigated, and anyone with information is asked to call the city fire marshal at 559-2541.
