Investigation continues into fire that destroyed home
A two-story family dwelling may be a total loss after the structure caught fire in the 400 block of Johnson Street Monday evening, according to Hillsboro Fire Chief Jerry Powell. The family is on vacation, he said, and no one was at home when the blaze began.
According to assistant fire chief Ed Puckett on Tuesday, the fire remains under investigation.
"It is under investigation by Hillsboro fire investigators in cooperation with the state fire marshal's office. At this time, we can say the fire is considered undetermined. It does appear to be suspicious in nature. We're still investigating."
Puckett said that samples have been taken from the scene for testing, and a determination will be made following their analysis.
Powell told The Highland County Press that 17 firefighters from Hillsboro, Leesburg and Marshall were on scene for more than an hour, and "We were able to knock down the flames pretty quickly, but it had a good head start on us."
The department had been out on a "non-controlled controlled burn" when they received the call the home was on fire.
No injuries were reported, he said.
Local fire investigators were on their way to the scene, according to Powell, to determine the point of origin, and to "see if there is anything suspicious."
Powell said they had not yet determined the cause of the fire and that it remains under investigation.