Carson City Fire Chief: Arson likely responsible for fires at historic Foreman-Roberts House
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 08/29/2016 - 6:00am
UPDATE 4:15PM From Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong: The Carson City Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office responded to two arson-related fires at the Foreman-Roberts House Museum over the weekend. The first fire was reported on Sunday morning at approximately 2:34 a.m., damaging primarily the east side of the structure. On Monday morning at approximately 4:29 a.m., another fire was reported, this time the origin site was located on the south side of the building. The two incidents have resulted in moderate damage to the building.
Both fires are under investigation and presumed to be arson. Anyone with any information regarding these two fires is asked to contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office at the Investigations Division, 283-7851 or the Communications Center at 887-2677.
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Carson City Fire Department is investigating two fires that appear to have been deliberately set at the historic Foreman-Roberts House on North Carson Street, the latest happened early Monday morning with the fire burning into the interior of the building, considered one of the oldest homes in Nevada.
Carson City Fire Department chief Bob Schreihans said arson is likely the cause of the early morning fires that burned a door of the historic home on North Carson Street early Sunday and the larger fire that caused damage to the inside of the home that was reported at 4:29 a.m. Monday morning.
The fire department was able to knock the fire down fast with a quick response time, causing only minor interior damage, said Schreihans.
"Our arson investigation team is here and hopefully we can find out who is responsible for trying to burn this landmark down," he said.
The home is managed by the Carson City Historical Society who have been keeping track of the developments.
"There is a nutcase who is trying to burn a significant piece of Nevada history down," said Gary Cain, president of the Carson City Historical Society.
Last week there was an incident at the home in which a window was broken after two transients had been in an altercation. It is unknown if that is related to the two fires early Sunday and Monday morning, officials said.
The Foreman-Roberts House is a historic house and museum located at 1207 N. Carson St. in Carson City.
While unclear as to exactly when the home was constructed, some say it was built in the late 1850s to early 1860s and was moved to the present location in 1874, said Cain. Known as the Foreman-Roberts House, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the headquarters of the Carson City Historical Society and is open to the public by appointment and for special events.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is significant "as a rare example of the Gothic Revival Style of architecture," one of few in Nevada. It is also the oldest surviving house in Carson City, according to a Wikipedia entry.
The house was documented by drawings in the Historic American Buildings Survey program in 1973, according to Wikipedia.
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