BENNINGTON -- A fire over the weekend on Overlea Road is being considered suspicious given the fact that the home is currently unoccupied.
Bennington Rural Fire Chief Joseph Hayes said the call was received shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday. Crews were on-scene within five minutes, and firefighters had the fire under control within a half-hour, he said. "It was a great knock down. ... The teams worked well together, especially this being Battle Day weekend."
Firefighters spent an additional 30 minutes doing "heavy mopping" afterward, Hayes reported. The fire chief said there was no cause determined during the preliminary stages of the investigation, but he said the incident was considered suspicious because the home was unoccupied and the power had been turned off to the single-story residence.
Responding departments at the scene included crews from Bennington and Bennington Rural, North Bennington, Shaftsbury, and Pownal Fire, while Pownal Valley remained on standby.
A fire investigation unit with the Vermont State Police conducted Saturday’s investigation before turning the matter over to Bennington Police Det. Sgt. David Rowland, who is continuing to work the case.
-- Zeke Wright
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