The Texas County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a Thursday evening house fire that is suspected to have been deliberately set.
Sheriff James Sigman said the investigation surrounds a blaze at a home owned by Justin Dixon at 16233 Forrest Drive, west of Mineral Drive near Houston.
“The fire marshal deemed it arson, and we’re investigating it as an arson,” Sigman said.
Personnel from three departments responded to the fire call at 5 p.m.
Houston Rural Fire Chief Don Gaston said three trucks and nine firefighters from his department went, along with six firefighters from the Licking Fire Department and two from the City of Houston FD. Gaston said the fire appeared to have been set where a mattress and other items had been piled up and doused with a flammable liquid.
“We worked our tails off trying to save it because we knew what it was,” he said. “When they burn to the ground, there’s not a lot to look at and your evidence is gone. When I first got there I didn’t think we could save it, but there was a lot of good help and we did it.”
The two-story house’s exterior displays little damage from the flames, but its interior is all but gutted.
“I’m very proud of the firefighters for what they did,” Gaston said. “The people in our area should be proud of what they have to help protect them against fires.”
Sigman said deputies responded to an incident at the same residence not long before the fire call came in.
“It’s a mess, but we’re working to sort through this and have more information sometime next week,” he said.