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OGDEN -- Two suspicious house fires in two days have Ogden fire investigators questioning whether they are connected.
Firefighters were called to the house at 3111 Jefferson Ave. around 4 a.m. When they arrived, they found the structure fully involved, with heavy smoke and fire coming from the windows, doors and part of the roof. The fire was also threatening nearby homes.
Firefighters were able to knock the fire down fairly quickly. And once they did, Ogden's fire marshal was able to get inside and determine that it started in the basement, possibly by squatters. Schwenk said, "Neighbors say they've seen people come in and out, and there were some open cans of food in there."
This is the second fire in the area in two days. On Wednesday, firefighters responded to another suspicious fire on 1893 Childs Ave.
Firefighters say while both homes are abandoned, the one on Childs Avenue is in the redevelopment area of Ogden and is scheduled to be torn down.
The house on Jefferson is not and, in fact, city code enforcement says the owner of the home has been cited three times in the last two years for having too much trash and junk in the yard and it's been difficult getting the owner to comply.
Code Compliance Inspector Clark Olsen said, "It's a big issue with Ogden to try to avoid this. You can see the trash around. You can see what it does. They do get written up on it, but some landlords are just slow to respond."
The Ogden City Fire Department says the structure is a total loss with an approximate value of $75,000. The Ogden city fire marshal has deemed the building dangerous and unsafe, now he is trying to determine if and when the building will be torn down.
Investigators won't say if the two fires are connected, or if it's the work of an arsonist. But they will say it is possible. Schwenk said, "[It's] an out of sight area, if someone goes into the basement of the house to start a fire, they can exit the house before it gets noticed."
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