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Arson May Be To Blame For Overnight House Fire

SOUTH SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Fire investigators say an arsonist could be to blame for a house fire in south Sacramento on Wednesday morning.

A vacant home went up in flames in the early morning on Sky and 6th parkways.

Firefighters say the fire is suspicious because of the intensity and height of the flames. Investigators think gasoline may have been used to fuel the flames, but they're still looking into it.

"It's gonna be under investigation but something in the middle of the night as well involved as that was didn't happen naturally, let's put it that way," Sacramento City Fire Battalion Chief Chris Ortiz said.

A person who was observed watching firefighters work to control the blaze was detained for questioning. He was watching from a park across the street and ran when firefighters approached him, but Sacramento County sheriff's deputies caught up to him a few side streets over.

The man initially lied about his again and birth date. He was handcuffed and questioned but eventually released. Deputies have his contact information if they need to follow up with him.

No one was hurt in the fire, to the relief of one neighbor.

"You could see flames coming out the roof, the garage was fully engulfed, you could see flames coming up around the roof line and around the house," Travis Hall said.

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