By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Authorities believe the Labor Day fire at a house on East Rensselaer Street in Bucyrus was likely a case of arson. Bucyrus Fire Chief Jay Keller said both his investigators and those from the State Fire Marshal’s Office have collected evidence from the scene which remains under investigation.
“We’re leaning right now towards arson,” Keller said. “We took some evidence down on Thursday. I don’t know for sure what all they (state investigators) took down with them. I do know they took down some (Burn) patterns.”
The house at 825 East Rensselaer Street is a rental property owned by John Hensley of North Robinson. It was vacant at the time. The house was fully engulfed when firefighters first arrived on the scene and is considered a total loss estimated at $65,000. The call came in at about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 1.
The incident report indicates some type of flammable liquid or gas may have been used as an accelerant. The heat did cause some damage to the neighboring home at 829 East Rensselaer Street.