Kerosene can found in basement of home destroyed by fire

By Patricia Minichiello
RUTLAND CITY— A fire that destroyed a home on Forest Street Sept. 19 has been ruled suspicious by arson investigators.
A kerosene can found in the basement of the home was collected for evidence, police said.
A fire was lit on each floor of the vacant property at 63 Forest Street, according to Detective Cpl. John Dickerson of the Rutland City Police Department.
He said investigators are trying to locate the suspects involved.
Dickerson said it’s difficult to tell if the kerosene can found in the basement was used to start the fire; further testing is needed.
“Investigators collected debris from each floor for testing,” he said.
Dickerson said he’s also been talking to neighbors and people in the area to ask if they noticed any suspicious activity.
Rutland City Firefighters battled the fully-engulfed blaze just before 11 p.m. Sept. 19, and returned to the station around 4 a.m. the next morning.
The house was in the remodeling phase and electricity was turned on to only the bottom level through temporary wiring, Dickerson said.
Lt. Robert Miles of the Rutland City Fire Department said seven firefighters initially responded to the scene, followed by at least 20 more, all from Rutland City.
One of the first to arrive on scene was Lt. Dan Gedney of the Rutland City Fire Department, who said evidence from the fire is currently at a lab in Waterbury for testing.
The owner of the property, according to the city assessor’s office, is Bank of America. A woman by the name of Dallas Sears has an option to buy the property, Dickerson said, and she was in the process of renovating it at the time.
Anyone with more information is asked to call city police at 802-773-1816.
Patricia Minichiello is a freelance reporter and editor of vtpresspass.com. She can be reached at vtpresspass@gmail.com.

Photo by Patricia Minichiello
A fire that desstroyed a home 63 Forest Street, Sept. 19, is considered suspicious and continues to be investigated.