The cause of a fire that destroyed a vacant 136-year-old house in Hot Springs is unclear, but the blaze appears suspicious, a fire official said Thursday.
The multistory home at 408 Spring St., which was built in 1879 and was set to be auctioned Thursday, caught fire late Wednesday night.
Fire crews remained on scene all night, putting out hot spots and then demolishing what was left of the structure, said Hot Springs Fire Department Fire Marshal Tom Braughton.
He said the investigation was ongoing, but the fire "absolutely" appeared suspicious.
"We're still looking into it," Braughton said. "Our job is to determine whether it was accidental or intentional. And right now I can't find an accidental reason."
He said the house was not hooked up to electricity or gas and that its owners did not have insurance on it
A photo posted on the Deluca's Pizza Instagram page showed large flames and a thick cloud of smoke coming from the structure. Braughton said the way the home was built caused the flames to quickly move into the attic, where they grew.
"Those are real, real tough fires to try get control of," he said.