A fire destroyed an abandoned building in Upton with historical significance early Sunday morning and firefighters are calling it suspicious.
The structure fire began at 149 Main Street at around 3:30 a.m. Firefighters believe the fire sparked in the house’s basement and spread up to the roof. The entire house was engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.
There were no reports of injuries.
The property was previously listed on the historical walking tours of West Upton. The building was originally erected as a stable in 1889 by George Knowlton for $2300. In 1950, the barn was converted into a home by Leonard Rand, a hat factory foreman. The property remained a home for a few decades before becoming a multi-family home.
Upton Fire Chief Ron Goodale told channel 7 news, “We have more than one point of origin, which leads us to believe that there may be a possibility the fire was set here,” said Upton Fire Chief Aaron Goodale. “So we are still looking into that.”
There have been several instances of vandalism and trespassing.
The fire remains under investigation.
Below are tweets, videos, and facebook posts of the fire throughout the night.
UPTON DAILY 