MONKTON — Police are looking for information on what started a fire that destroyed a Monkton home this past Wednesday evening.
The Monkton Volunteer and Bristol fire departments  responded to a structure fire at 1226 Hardscrabble Road in Monkton at just before 6 p.m. on Sept. 3. When firefighters arrived on scene the entire structure was fully engulfed in flames.
The residence was unoccupied, for sale and no one had been at the home since mid-April, according to Det. Sgt. Larry Smith of the Vermont State Police Fire Investigation Unit. There was no one in the residence at the time of the fire thus no injuries were reported. The residence was a total loss with an estimated value of $100,000.
The Monkton fire chief, believing the fire was suspicious, requested that the Fire Investigation Unit investigate the origin and cause of the blaze.
Smith, Sgt. Jeremy Hill and investigator Joe Benard from the Division of Fire Safety responded to conduct the investigation. The entire structure had been consumed by fire, and for safety reasons much of the building had been torn down prior to the investigators arriving on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the investigators determined the fire was suspicious for various reasons they did not disclose. The state police are looking for anyone who may have been in the area at or around the time of the fire and asking them to contact VSP directly or through the Arson tip line, a toll-free call at 1-800-32-arson (27766). There is a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.