$5k reward offered in Ganges Twp arson

GANGES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Investigators determined a fire at an abandoned house in Ganges Township was intentionally set, the seventh such fire in the same block in two years.

"There is no other accidental source available except for human intervention," said Michigan State Police fire investigator Scott Leroy. "Being that no one lives here, the obvious cause is arson."

The empty house in the 1200 block of 68th Street in this rural Allegan County community was set on fire around 9:50 p.m. Tuesday night, and it took firefighters nearly five hours to douse the blaze.

Authorities are worried they may be dealing with a serial arsonist. The seven fires on this short stretch of 68th Street have all been at abandoned houses.

The Allegan County Sheriff's Department launched their investigation, and the MSP sent their investigator to determine the cause.

When Ganges Fire Chief Doug Compton arrived on the scene, he said "the whole sky was lit up. It was going really well when we got here."

Though he wouldn't go into many specifics, he said all the fires happened around the same time of day and all on the same road.

He's both frustrated and concerned. "I live about a half-mile away," he told 24 Hour News 8.

MSP investigator Leroy is documenting "the entire exterior. I need to document the entire interior and I need to document the utitilies."

There is a $5,000 reward offered for information that leads to the conviction of whoever set this fire. Contact the Allegan County Sheriff's Department or Silent Observer.