Capital City Fire/Rescue and the Juneau Police Department are investigating a possible vehicle arson near Skater’s Cabin on Wednesday morning.
“On Wednesday Aug. 5,2020, at approximately 2:20 a.m., Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a car fire near Skater’s Cabin,” posted CCFR on their Facebook page. “Upon arrival a single car was found burning.”
The vehicle, likely a 2014 Ford Focus, was left in a parking lot and completely destroyed, said Fire Marshal Dan Jager in a phone interview.
“There was no reason for it to be there. It was brought there, and abandoned,” Jager said. “There was no reason for a fire to be started.”
Jager said the next part of the process will be investigating the source and vector of the fire.
“The interesting thing about car fires is that, while the car might be completely burned, oxidation can happen. The areas with the most heat will show different patterns of discoloration,” Jager said. “In addition to the moisture in the air, the heat affects the metal and how fast or slow that process occurs. There can be indicators that it might have burned more intense in one area or another.”
As the investigation of the fire itself goes on, JPD will be investigating the origin of the vehicle, Jager said. Investigations of fires can take between 10 and 50 hours, Jager, and longer if there’s fatality involved, which does not appear to be the case in this instance.
“We got the call to respond at about 2:20 a.m. so the odds of people being out and about are pretty slim,” Jager said. “JPD had a couple of patrol officers out there before I showed up.”
The investigation will continue, Jager said.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or lockett@juneauempire.com.
