Authorities Seeking Information on Saturday Spate of Suspicious Fires

La Grange Volunteer Fire Department fought three suspicious structure fires starting early Saturday monring, Sept. 10. All three involved vacant or abandoned homes, including one at a home for sale on Country Club drive where firefighters found signs of forced entry when they arrived.

Fayette County Crimestoppers is offering reward money up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest.

Firefighters received the first call at 2:29 a.m. reporting a house on fire at 710 North Monroe in La Grange. Menefee said the house was fully engulfed when the first units arrived. La Grange VFD responded with four fire trucks. Menefee called for assistance from Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department, which sent a fire engine and crew.

Menefee said no one was living at the home, although an abandoned car was parked in the driveway. He said utilities had been disconnected eight months ago. Firefighters worked until 6:12 a.m. putting out the North Monroe fire. The fire completely gutted the home.

While they were still fighting the fire on North Monroe, firefighters received another call at 3:44 a.m. reporting a house on fire at 3819 Loehr Road in the Mullins Prairie area. With firefighters busy in town, Menefee sent one quick response truck and called for assistance from Schulenburg and Weimar Volunteer Fire Departments.

Menefee said the Loehr Road house was connected to electricity but no one was living in the home. The home burned completely to the ground. Firefighters remained there until 6:27 a.m.

Then at 12:24 p.m., La Grange VFD received another report of a house on fire at 858 Country Club Drive in the Frisch Auf! subdivision. Firefighters found that someone had broken through a glass sliding door at the rear of the home. Inside, they found smoldering carpet on fire, which they quickly extinguished. The house suffered some smoke and water damage but was otherwise OK.

Menefee plans to meet with investigators from the State Fire Marshall’s Office on Monday, Sept. 12. Chief Deputy Randy Noviskie of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office said it would be up to the Fire Marshall’s investigators to officially determine whether the fires were acts of arson.

In the meantime, Noviskie encourages anyone with information to call the Crimestoppers hotline at (979) 968-8477. Callers may remain anonymous.