Authorities are investigating whether a fire that destroyed a vacant Cascade house Sunday morning is tied to a body that was found in a van on the same property more than two weeks ago, a state fire marshal said.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation, Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Ed Ernst said in a telephone interview.
Ernst said there was no power in the house, so he can rule out an electrical cause. There also was no one living there legally, and a neighbor told him there's been no one living in the house, he said.
No one was injured during the fire at 25121 Cascade Road, which was reported at 4:59 a.m., authorities said. The house was at the corner with Wastler Avenue. It is down the street from the former Fort Ritchie military base.
A Washington County Sheriff's Office deputy found a body in a van in the 25100 block of Cascade Road on May 30 while investigating a suspicious vehicle, Deputy 1st Class Carly Hose has said.