Oklahoma Authorities Say Fire At Fort Washita Was Arson

Associated Press

DURANT, Oklahoma -- Authorities say a fire that destroyed a military barracks building at an old Army fort in southeastern Oklahoma was deliberately set.

State Fire Marshal's spokeswoman JoAnne Sellars says her office, the Bryan County sheriff's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been investigating the blaze at historic Fort Washita since flames gutted the two-story structure Sunday morning. No injuries were reported.

Sheriff Bill Sturch says suspects have been identified in the case, but no arrests have been made.

The gray stone and wood building had been on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1965. The loss was estimated at $1 million.

Fort Washita interpreter Ron Petty says the building was erected in 1849, and its top half was a replica constructed in the 1960s or 1970s after the original was damaged.