Ogumoro said DPS received a call at about 3:10 a.m. on Feb. 15, 2009 reporting a structure fire a residence in Koblerville. She said units were immediately dispatched to the area and the fire was put under control by 3:48 p.m.
The owner, Cesario R. Kaipat, and his family left the house at about 3:00 p.m. An hour later, he received a call from a family member that his house was on fire and the eastern portion of his house had already collapsed to the ground.
Ogumoro said the cause of the fire was still undetermined.
Fire hit second house, located in Kagman 111, Phase 1, at about 4:08 a.m. on Monday.
Ogumoro said the wooden tin structure had been abandoned and unoccupied for some time.
She added the firefighters had the fire under control by 4:27 a.m.
Investigators discovered an electrical drop line that should have been connected from a power pole to the house’s electrical meter was not there.
Ogumoro said based on their findings, investigators believe that the house was intentionally set on fire.
The owner of the house is yet to be identified, and the case is still under investigation.
There were no reported injuries in both incidents.
DPS is appealing to the community and to anyone having information about these incidents call the NMI Crime Stoppers Hotline at 234-7272. All calls are kept anonymous, no caller ID is used and a reward of up to $1,000 is given for any information that will lead to an arrest.
