Weymouth Duplex Facing Foreclosure Goes Up In Smoke; Investigators Blame Filthy Furnace, Cracked Chimney

In Weymouth, Massacusetts, The Patriot Ledger reports that a local two family non-owner occupied home in foreclosure was hit by fire last week. One unit was vacant; in the other, the tenant reports that all his familiy's possessions were destroyed. Regarding the suspected cause of the fire:

• Officials were suspicious about the fire because it broke out the day before the foreclosed building was to be sold. But Weymouth Fire Chief Robert Leary said the fire started because the burner had not been cleaned and the thermostat in the vacant unit had been left set at 75 degrees. "Anything suspicious has been ruled out,’’ Leary said. ‘‘There’s no apparent arson." Results of an investigation by personnel from the state fire marshal’s office and the Weymouth Fire Department were released Wednesday. In addition to finding that the furnace was dirty, investigators determined that a cracked chimney let fire get into several levels of the home simultaneously.

For more, see Dad, kids lose everything in fire; Furnace blamed for blaze that destroyed duplex on Sunday.

See also, WCVB-TV Channel 5 report: Arson Investigated In Home Blaze (House Was To Be Foreclosed On) (read story) (watch video). (Another issue that surfaced: the fire chief said his staff was stretched thin because of recent budget cuts. Firefighters from Quincy and Braintree were called in to help put out the fire.)

For other stories on fires & foreclosures, go here , go here , and go here. foreclosure arson xerox