Authorities are investigating the possibility of arson in a Crookston house fire earlier this week, the Crookston Police Department reported today.
Police officers responded to 128 Washington Ave. shortly after 4 a.m. Tuesday and were told by 49-year-old Tom Mix, the owner of the house, that he heard noises and smelled gas before finding the kitchen in flames.
Mix had his wife and daughter leave the house and tried to extinguish the blaze, but he also left the house after he was unable to get the fire under control.
The Crookston Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fire. According to the police department, gasoline cans were found in the kitchen along with evidence of the use of an accelerant.
The Minnesota State Fire Marshall was contacted and an arson investigation now is underway.
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Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Crookston Police Department at (218) 281-3111.
