A two-story 100-year-old farmhouse in the 7400 block of Calvey Creek Road in the Dittmer area was destroyed after a fire broke out the evening of Monday, Aug. 28.
David Jones, assistant chief at Cedar Hill Fire Protection District, said the fire has been ruled as suspicious. The property is vacant and has no utilities hooked up.
Cedar Hill Fire was alerted of the fire at 9:10 p.m. Jones said it took fire crews longer than normal to access the house, as they had to drive over a creek bed to reach it.
He said the farmhouse was fully involved when the fire crew arrived on the scene.
“We pulled a line (off the truck) and wet down the brush surrounding the house,” he said. “We let (the house) burn because sometimes you can cause a bigger mess by going in the building.”
Jones said two Cedar Hill pumpers and a tanker were used to protect the nearby brush and acreage while the house burned itself out.
Jones said the property owner lives on top of a hill not far away from the farmhouse.
“She could have seen the glow of the fire but would not have been able to see the house itself,” he said.
Jones said a passerby spotted the fire from the road and called for emergency services.
He said no injuries occurred during the fire.
Cedar Hill Fire left the scene at 10:43 p.m. Pacific and St. Clair fire protection districts also assisted on the call, Jones said.