HIGHFILL — Firefighters battled three abandoned house fires over the last two days.
Two fires were reported Wednesday morning. Another fire was called in Tuesday morning. The three fires were in the same area.
Numerous firefighters were at the scene of a fire at a wood-frame house at 11887 Malone Road on Wednesday.
“Somebody lit it,” said Jeff Parks, assistant fire chief for the Highfill Fire Department. “We can guarantee that. We just let it burn. It was fully involved when we arrived.”
Firefighters fought another fire on Malone Road on Tuesday. Both Malone Road houses were destroyed by fire.
Firefighters also were called to a fire at 12220 Hendrix Road on Wednesday. The brown brick house had significant damage from the flames.
Ten to 20 firefighters fought the Malone Road fire, and 30 to 40 were at the Hendrix Road fire, Parks said.
Robert McGowen, director of emergency management for Benton County, was at both fire scenes Wednesday. McGowen said the county fire marshal will assist the Sheriff’s Office in an investigation into both fires.
Greg Stevenson and Jeff Robbins, detectives with the Sheriff’s Office, walked through the burned residence at Hendrix Road on Wednesday.
Keisha Guyll, spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office, said the three fires are suspected to have been started by arsonists.
Highfill firefighters assisted the Centerton Fire Department a few weeks ago at another abandoned house fire, Parks said.
Parks said the fires are no joking matter.
“We are lucky that it is not as hot as it has been,” Parks said. “It could have been a danger of heat exhaustion. There’s a lot of money and time sitting out here.”
Dan Malone stood and watched as his grandmother’s home at 11887 Malone Road burned Wednesday. She died about 10 years ago and the house has been empty since.
Malone said his son, a Highfill firefighter, called and told him about the Hendrix Road fire and then told him he thought “grandma’s house” also was on fire.
“It was burning so bad when I got here that there was no sense in putting it out,” Dan Malone said.
Firefighters from Highfill, Centerton, Gentry, Cave Springs, Tontitown, Lowell and Gallatin were called to Wednesday’s fires.
Marc Trollinger, county fire marshal, was in his office Tuesday morning when he received word of that fire.
Trollinger has been called to 83 fires in the county so far this year. Six of those fires have been deemed suspicious and three were to abandoned structures, Trollinger said.