NORTH VERNON, Ind. (AP) _ A fire chief says arson caused the blaze that swept through a row of century-old buildings in a southern Indiana city.
North Vernon Fire Chief Rick McGill tells The Seymour Tribune says the Friday blaze began in a basement apartment in one of two buildings that collapsed. He says Investigators have found multiple places where fire originated within a room in the apartment.
Along with the two collapsed buildings, five others also suffered damage.
That area was undergoing major facade work as part of a project awarded to North Vernon through the Indiana Stellar Communities Program three years ago.
No residents were hurt, but officials say five firefighters suffered minor injuries. Mayor Harold “Soup'' Campbell says the damaged buildings were more than 100 years old.
