Investigators label rural Janesville fire ‘suspicious’

By GAZETTE STAFF Friday, May 29, 2009

JANESVILLE — The Janesville Fire Department Prevention Bureau will assist the Rock County Sheriff’s Office in investigating an early Thursday morning house fire at 5042 E. County A.

Officials think the fire is suspicious because of where the fire started, said Capt. Todd Christiansen, who leads the Rock County Sheriff’s Office detective division.

“There’s no reason for a fire to start there,’’ he said.

He declined to say where the fire started.

A passerby reported the fire at 4:31 a.m. Thursday after seeing flames showing from the two-story single-family house owned by James and Cindy Discher.

The house is insured and is for sale, Christiansen said.

Although the house is unoccupied, two cats reportedly were inside at the time of the fire.

“One’s been located,” Christiansen said.

Interior and exterior damage was reported with an estimated loss of $35,000, according to fire officials.

County A was closed between Henke Road and Highway 14 for two hours while firefighters battled the blaze.

The Milton Fire Department provided mutual aid with a tanker.

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