Published: July 01, 2009 12:07 pm      

Investigators say arson caused fire at abandoned house in New Albany

‘Remote location’ made task difficult for firefighters

Investigators believe arson was the cause of a fire at an abandoned New Albany house Monday night.

The New Albany Fire Department first began receiving 911 calls from motorists driving along Interstate 64 at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday. They reported seeing flames and thought there was a fire in the woods.

It turned out to be a two-story house engulfed in flames about a quarter of a mile from the interstate. The house — which authorities believe has been abandoned for at least 20 years — is located between Windover Road and Kenzig Road, which runs off of Paoli Pike.

The first fire engines arrived within minutes, but the structure was already very involved, NAFD Investigator Jodie Wilson said. He said the fire was already showing through the roof by the time the first calls began arriving to 911. The building was a total loss, but no one was injured.

“The remote location made it very difficult,” Wilson said. “The first engine couldn’t get within 500 feet of the house.”

There had been a driveway that was several hundred feet long, but it had been grown over by vegetation. Firefighters had to climb 400 feet up a hill through the woods.

“We did have radiant heat,” Wilson said. “There was a small woods fire around the residence.”

Wilson said it did not take long for them to extinguish the fire once firefighters eventually made it to the house. Their first response was to contain the fire before it spread, Wilson said.

Wilson called it an incendiary fire, meaning it was caused by arson. There were no utilities to the home and no electricity in the area. Natural causes and accidental causes were ruled out.

Lafayette Township Fire Department responded to the call. It was determined the fire was actually in Floyd County’s jurisdiction, although the calls came in through New Albany’s dispatch.

Anyone with information about the arson is asked to call the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department at 812-948-5407.