VIENNA - A fire the destroyed a vacant house in Vienna Monday is suspicious, but the cause is still undetermined, an investigator said.
Samples of evidence from 1402 16th St. were sent to a Charleston lab Tuesday to undergo further testing, said Max Barker, lead investigator with the Wood County Fire Investigation Team.
"At this point, it does look suspicious, but it's still inconclusive," said Barker. "We've pretty much ruled out any electrical problems. Usually if the cause is something electrical or accidental, we can narrow that down pretty quickly, but in this case, we're just not sure."
Barker said he believed the fire began in the front bedroom. Witnesses were interviewed during the investigation on the scene, which lasted through the afternoon Monday. Yellow tape surrounded the house Monday while crews continued to gather evidence.
"Once we get the samples back we hope to know more," he said.
The single-story house was empty and unoccupied while undergoing renovations for a new tenant, Barker said.
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department was the first to respond to the scene around 4 a.m. Monday.
Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department arrived several minutes after the initial call to provide backup.
The blaze was under control within the hour. No injuries were reported.
