Ind. Firefighters Injured Fighting Suspicious Fire

Jan. 15--WASHINGTON -- Two firefighters were transported to Daviess Community Hospital following an early morning fire Saturday at 1500 Jackson St., and the state fire marshal's office was called to investigate the cause of the blaze.

"It's suspicious," said Washington Fire Chief David Rhoads. "That's why we called the fire marshal in n to make sure we didn't miss anything."

The fire was first reported by Amanda Plumber, 1504 Jackson St., at 3:03 a.m., and then by Tina Clark, 1506 Jackson St., at 3:05 a.m. The Washington Fire Department arrived on the scene at 3:09 a.m. and had the blaze under control by 3:56 a.m. Off-duty firefighters were called to assist. The scene was cleared of all but one firefighter by about 6:33 a.m., according to Rhoads, and that person was there until about 7 a.m.

Matt Pride and Dwayne Murphy sustained minor injuries while fighting the fire. They were treated at DCH for sprains and released. Both returned to work.

Rhoads said the house, owned by Joe Williams of Petersburg, was vacant and there were no utilities connected at the time of the fire. He said the blaze started in the living room area. The chief said his department has an idea how the fire started, but is not ready to release that information until the investigation is complete.

"It's still under investigation," he said. "I met with the fire marshal, and he looked at it and took pictures."

The residence incurred major damage and is uninhabitable, according to Rhoads.

"It's in pretty bad shape," he said. "It would take a lot of work."

Copyright 2013 - Washington Times-Herald, Ind.