Arson suspected in Grandview Apartments fire

Investigators delivered samples from a weekend apartment fire to the state crime lab today, to determine what helped start the fire early Saturday morning.
Police described the fire as the result of arson, though no suspects have been identified yet.
Firefighters were called out at 4:13 a.m. Saturday after the smoke detectors went off and witnesses saw heavy fire coming from a third-floor apartment. When firefighters arrived, the front door to the apartment was ajar and a bedroom window had been removed, Winchester Police Capt. James Hall said.
The apartment had been vacant for about a month, and there were no signs of forced entry, he said.
“I can’t tell you why” the window was missing, Hall said, and it was not found at the scene.
Hall said there were several points of origin for the fire in the apartment, but the most damage was contained to one of the bedrooms. The fire itself was contained to the apartment, though smoke and water affected other apartments on the top floor.
“The room of origin was gutted, and there was smoke damage all over the third floor,” Winchester Fire-EMS Maj. Greg Beam said.
Only one other third-floor apartment was occupied, he said.
An accelerant-detecting  K9 unit from Scott County was brought in to assist with the investigation, and alerted on several areas throughout the apartment, Hall said. Samples from those areas were sent to the lab for further analysis.
Hall said no suspects have been identified yet, but investigators are continuing to interview people.
No injuries were reported in the fire.

Contact Fred Petke at fpetke@winchestersun.com