(Photo contributed by City of Oxford Fire Chief John Detherage)
Fire officials suspect arson caused the fire at the Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) house on May 25, and are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification of anyone responsible, according to a Department of Commerce News Release.
Onlookers stood by as the Fiji house, 130 E. High St., stood in flames. Although two fraternity members were in the house when the fire broke out, they made it out safely and no one was harmed.
The Division of the Fire State Marshal along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oxford Police Department are working to solve the case.
A Blue Ribbon Arson Reward sign has been posted outside what remains of the century-old home, calling for anyone with information to report in.
"It is imperative that someone come forward with information," State Fire Marshall Larry Flowers said in a press release. "Investigators want to hear from anyone who saw something out of the ordinary at or around the time of the fire or who may have heard someone speaking about the fire with an unusual level of interest or knowledge."
Anyone with information, photos or videos of the fire are asked to call the State Fire Marshal's Fire & Explosion Investigation Bureau at 800-589-2728.
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