The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office has released preliminary details in the investigation of a July 6th, fire that destroyed a residence and killed two dogs on Tamarack Street in Herlong.
Personnel from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Sierra Army Depot Fire Department and Herlong Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire late Saturday evening, arriving to find that the residence was fully involved.
Although all people were safely out of the residence, two dogs died in the fire and the home was mostly destroyed. Due to the suspicious nature of the fire, Sheriff’s Office and Cal-Fire Protection personnel were called in to investigate.
A preliminary investigation determined the fire was started within the home in one of the bedrooms. It was ascertained that a child was playing with some type of ignition device and this ignition caused items within a bedroom to catch on fire and continue to burn throughout the home.
In response to this call, a Deputy assigned to the Southern Lassen County area responded from the southern portion of Lassen County. While en route to the call, the Deputy struck a deer, resulting in an air bag deployment. The Deputy sustained minor injuries, the patrol car appears to be a total loss.
The investigation into the fire is ongoing and will be referred to the appropriate agency when completed.
