Cause unknown in historic house’s fire

Fayetteville’s Fire Department can’t determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a former home of former President Bill Clinton on June 8.

“It is officially classified as undetermined,” said Brian Sloat, deputy fire marshal in Fayetteville. “The area of origin was definitely in the carport area, but we don’t know what out there caused the fire.”

Sloat said the department has completed its investigation into the fire.

The one-bedroom house at 6725 Huntsville Road is owned by Stephanie and Robert Dzur of Albuquerque, N.M. Both are alumni of the University of Arkansas.

Stephanie Dzur said the house is too damaged to repair and will have to be torn down.

The former president lived in the house from 197375, when he taught law at the university.

More recently, Stephanie Dzur’s father, Joe Brodacz, was living in the house and escaped the fire with his dog.

Robert Dzur said Brodacz’s Ford Explorer was parked in the carport when the fire occurred.

The house was designed by architect E. Fay Jones of Fayetteville for Adrian and Marie Fletcher. It was built in 1957 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jones won the American Institute of Architecture’s Gold Medal in 1990. The architecture school at UA is named for him.

The Fletcher house isn’t “the” Fayetteville house that comes to mind when most people think of Clinton. Clinton bought a one-bedroom house at 930 California Drive in 1975.

Clinton and Hillary Rodham were married in the California Drive house and began their life as a family there.

That building now serves as the Clinton House Museum.