Police have no suspect description and are looking for any tips from anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the neighborhood off Highway 158.
Police received the call around 1:30 and Fire Chief Gary Corbet said firefighters witnessed heavy smoke from the house when they arrived.
Corbet said once inside firefighters discovered multiple points of origin and that the burning of the insulation from the wires spread fire to other combustibles in the house. The fire department immediately turned investigation over to the police.
Captain Andy Jackson of the police department said investigators found evidence of metal theft, from damage to the structure to the copper wires which were burned, some of them in the bathroom. Plumbing fixtures and wiring were removed from the house but were left at the scene when the suspect or suspects fled after the fire started.
The insulation is removed from the wiring so it can be sold as scrap, Jackson said.
Corbet said firefighters were on the scene for about 30 to 40 minutes after putting out a few hotspots and clearing smoke from the house, which sustained mainly smoke damage.
Police estimate the damage to be around $5,000.
Corbet said setting fires inside a house can have unpredictable results. “It's dangerous to set any fire inside a structure whether you're there for the moment or you live there. It's not worth your life for a few dollars worth of copper.”
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the police department at 252-533-2810 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.
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