Officials Investigate Cause Of Fatal House Fire

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Investigators with the state fire marshal’s office are trying to figure what sparked a massive house fire overnight that left one man dead. The death has rattled the small town of Centerburg and fire officials say the fire may have been intentionally set.

Aside from a chimney, a shutter and openings that used to lead to garage, you'd never guess a two-story house used to sit at 1369 Oliver Road in Centerburg.

Now barely recognizable, it’s little more than a pile of rubble after a fire tore through the home overnight. “This went quick,” said Central Ohio Fire District Chief Joe Porter. He said fire crews never stood a chance.

Neighbors told NBC 4 crews that around 10 p.m., everything seemed normal, but at about 10:20 p.m., they began hearing some crackling and popping noises outside. When they looked out the window, they said the entire house was engulfed in flames.

“When we arrived, the building was fully involved in flames,” Porter said.

Crews were unable to immediately go inside and were left to fight it defensively. Once they did get a handle on it, they made a grisly discovery.

“After we got the flames knocked down, got to where we could start doing a search within the structure, we discovered a body,” Porter sid.

Family members confirmed to NBC 4 that the victim is Jeff Hurst. His wife and three children were not home at the time.

Porter, a firefighter of 24 years, said the speed of which the fire spread made him of suspicious of how it started.

“It looks like it is a possibility it was intentionally set, but all that is still under investigation right now," he said.

Investigators with the state fire marshals office spent Friday morning at the scene to try to figure out how the fire started. While Porter said it looks as if it may not have been accidental, that's far from a final ruling. Officials say we need to let the investigation takes its course.

Meanwhile, Knox County Sheriff David Barber says the man's death is being treated as questionable.

Officials said at about 3:15 p.m. that they had completed their on-scene investigation and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

However, investigators said they found no guns, weapons or containers that would indicate the presence of ignitable liquids.

The pending autopsy could take 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

The fire originated in a room that would be described as a family room or den, immediately adjacent to the garage, according to the state fire marshal's office.

Map of fire location:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1396+oliver+rd,+centerburg,+ohio&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1396+Oliver+Rd,+Centerburg,+Knox,+Ohio+43011&gl=us&ei=MTr9SvWZDtHbnAfEyO2QCw&ved=0CAkQ8gEwAA&z=16

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