Investigators now believe the fire at 1701 North College Avenue in Newton on Jan. 9 may be linked to another fire that happened on the same street a few months earlier.  The house that once stood there was reduced to a charred pile of rubble and bricks Monday morning after an arson fire left the building structurally unstable.

Newton Fire Marshal Dale Coffey said there are a number of similarities between the fire that destroyed the early 20th century home at 1701 North College Avenue and one that damaged a warehouse behind the train depot on the street six to eight months ago.

Coffey said the close proximity the fires was the first suggestion the two may be related.

Both buildings were unoccupied at the time the fires were set and had no electricity connected to them, ruling out an electrical fire, Coffey said.  The fires were also both started late at night, Coffey said. The fire at 1701 North College Avenue began around 4 a.m. while the one at the warehouse started about 11 p.m.

The end result was the same, both buildings were bulldozed to the ground.

He would not comment as to whether there was a specific suspect at this time.

The owners of the house, Jan and Virgil Hoffman, had spent three and a half years restoring the house built in 1905.  They determined it was best to tear the house down for the safety of the community, Jan Hoffman said after the fire.

She said there had been problems with vagrants trespassing in the unoccupied home.

Coffey said the investigation hasn’t suggested the involvement of vagrants or gangs in the house fire.

“There is nothing that leans toward that,” he said.  

Leads have been slow coming though.

“I think with any case there are always bumps,” he said. “Sometimes people think they have good information and when you run down the leads, it isn’t as good as you hoped.”

Coffey said he continues to follow up on leads.

“We’re following leads and tips,” Coffey said.  “There is no statute of limitations on arson.  We can come back in two years, five years, and make charges of arson.