By Tim Hrenchir
Topeka Capital Journal – November 1, 2013
Preliminary results of an investigation into a house fire Thursday afternoon in central Topeka indicated the blaze was intentionally set, the Topeka Fire Department said in a news release.
The release said no one was hurt in the fire, which did an estimated $500 worth of structural damage.
The fire burning inside was discovered by a person checking out the vacant house at 1160 S.W. Lane in response to a Craigslist advertisement, said fire department Shift Commander Mike Thompson. The person called dispatchers at 2:10 p.m.
Thompson said firefighters arrived and found an interior staircase was fully involved in flames. Three engine companies, two truck companies, one shift commander, one battalion chief and an investigator responded to the scene. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 10 minutes, easily containing it to its area of origin.
Shawnee County appraisal records show the house has an appraised value of $20,800 and has been owned since April 2008 by the Dunnegan, Mo.-based Alfred H. and Willhemina L. Hammons Trust.
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