Officials with the Jefferson City Fire Department said Monday they're not sure how long it would be before the cause of a structure fire Saturday night could be determined.
The fire at 409 East Capitol Ave. was reported at 8:43 p.m. Smoke and fire were showing from the side window on the first floor of the two-story house.
Firefighters said no one was in the home at the time of the fire, and they brought the blaze under control within five minutes. The fire was contained to the room of origin with minimal damage to the structure.
The State Fire Marshal's Office was called to investigate. The office did release Monday afternoon the fire was incendiary and was set in a lower, unoccupied apartment. The fire was called in by a passerby
According to Mid-MO GIS, which allows residents to see interactive maps and other data, the property is owned by Barbara Buescher. The house is not a Buescher property the Jefferson City Housing Authority has been seeking eminent domain for as part of blight-remediation work on East Capitol Avenue.
According to documents on Jefferson City's website, the city has done lawn care at the property, once in July as well as in 2020 and 2018. These were done as abatements to address safety concerns at the property.
Since the beginning of October, JCFD has responded to eight structure fires across the city. Fire officials said the causes have mostly been undetermined while others have been due to failure to properly dispose of smoking materials.