GCSD probes Royal fire as arson

ROYAL — The Garland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating whether a fully involved fire at 125 Breezy Trail that destroyed a mobile home and damaged an adjacent structure Thursday evening was the result of arson.

The mobile home’s owner told sheriff ’s investigators that he returned home Thursday night to find that his live-in girlfriend had ignited a starter log in a hallway. He said the two were having relationship problems and she was drinking whiskey at the time of the incident. He said he was unable to put out the fire.

The fire remained under investigation Friday. Arson is a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Sheriff’s Lt. Joel Ware said there had been numerous domestic disturbance calls in the Breezy Trail area Thursday. Sheriff’s Sgt. John Schroeder said dispatchers had received “multiple calls” in the Breezy Trail area specifically in reference to the couple causing disturbances.

Piney Volunteer Fire Department Lt. Scott Miser said the fire began shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday and firefighters responded at 8:13 p.m. Piney called for assistance from Mountain Pine Fire Department and 70 West Fire Department upon hearing the blaze had spread to an adjacent structure while en route.

Thursday night’s blaze was the third time in a week that multiple departments have battled a fully involved structure fire together. The first was at 115 Cleo St. Tuesday night.

Piney and 70 West also battled a structure fire at 407 S. Harris Road with assistance from Bonnerdale Fire Department shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday.

Miser said when Piney arrived on scene, the mobile home was “probably 70 percent” consumed, and the adjacent structure, which could have been either a house or a shop, had just caught fire. The departments were unable to save the mobile home, but kept the blaze from damaging the adjacent structure further.

Miser said the three fire departments’ response totaled about two hours, and the fire itself was taken care of “within the first hour.”

Miser said the mobile home was a complete loss, and the adjacent structure was partially damaged. He gave a damage estimate of $25,000.