Authorities are asking for the public’s help after a vacant house slated for a controlled training burn was destroyed by an unauthorized fire before firefighters could begin the exercise. According to Madison Volunteer Fire and Rescue, the department had received a permit from the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office to burn a vacant home at 55030 826 Road, southwest of Madison, at 6 a.m. Saturday morning.
Fire officials say someone allegedly set the house on fire within the previous 24 hours, before crews arrived to conduct the planned burn. No smoke or flames were reported to authorities during that time, and the fire was not discovered until firefighters arrived at the scene.
The department is asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity or who has information about the incident to contact Madison Volunteer Fire and Rescue or the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators are seeking to determine who was responsible for the unauthorized fire.