Two homes on East Bridgeport Street in White Hall burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances Sunday morning.
The White Hall Fire Department received an emergency dispatch just before 3:30 Sunday morning at 302 and 306 East Bridgeport for two homes that sit next to each other on fire.
Fire Chief Cale Hoesman says when firefighters arrived, one home was pretty much gone while the other was on the way: “It was reported near the current school, but it was actually near the old White Hall Elementary School on Bridgeport Street. Upon arrival of the firemen, there was two houses side by side, both abandoned. One house had already been burnt to the ground, and the only thing left was the foundation. The other one had already had a pretty good start when we arrived. The roof had already collapsed in and only two walls were standing at that time. The fires are very suspicious. We have called in the State Fire Marshal’s Office to assist in the investigation to see if they can help us find a point of origin and possibly a cause if at all possible. There was a house across Worchester Street – that’s how hot these got – had a window busted out and vinyl siding had melted on the residence to the west. Fortunately, all of our firemen got home safely. The Roodhouse Fire Department assisted us and there were no injuries there either.”
Hoesman says that firemen remained on the scene until approximately 7AM to ensure that the fire was out and no other structures were in danger of damage. A rekindle of the remains of the homes was reported around 8 o’clock last night. Firefighters responded with minimal units to put out a small blaze that had restarted. Both homes had been vacant for well over 30 years. The owner had been using them for storage with no utilities hooked up to the home. No estimate of damages has been released.
The fire remains under investigation by the White Hall Fire Department and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.