Fire Officials Not Ruling Out Arson In House, Vehicle Fire

El Paso Fire Department investigators told ABC-7 they are not ruling out the possibility that someone purposefully set fire to a truck. The blaze eventually spread to a home housing a family of five.

Fifteen firefighters responded to what started as a vehicle fire in the 6000 block of Sorrento shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday. They found two vehicles — a compact car and a truck — fully engulfed in flames, along with a car port and the front of the home.

The five members of the family, including a 6-month-old baby, all managed to get out of the home safely with their three dogs. No one was hurt. The homeowner told ABC-7 he managed to drive one of the three vehicles out from under the car port before the fire spread, saving it from any damage.

Fire officials believe the damage to the property is about $50,000.

A EPFD commander on the scene told ABC-7 they are looking into arson as a possible cause of the fire, but he wouldn’t elaborate. The homeowner told ABC-7 this is the second time his house has caught fire in two months. The first time it destroyed an SUV and damaged a car and the front of the home. He pointed out that the car that was damaged in the first fire was destroyed in the second fire.

The family is receiving assistance from the Red Cross.

Stay with ABC-7 as we continue to follow the investigation into the blaze.