Rock Hill police suspect arson after ‘flammable liquid’ found at scene of house fire

Rock Hill police are investigating a suspected arson after a “flammable liquid” was found at the scene of a house fire.

Police were called to the home on Prestwick Drive around 5:45 p.m. Thursday at the request of the property manager. A construction worker at the home told investigators he was doing remodeling work on the home when he found an exposed light fixture, according to a police incident report.

When he touched the wire it ignited a fire. The worker reported there was a wet box directly under the outlet that appeared to have been doused with a flammable liquid, which he believed to be kerosene. There were also marks on the siding below the fixture where the siding appeared to have caught fire earlier, the report states.

The worker extinguished the fire and then contacted police. He said based on the last time he was at the house earlier that day, the wiring must have been tampered with within the previous three hours. The home was recently put into foreclosure.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Rock Hill police suspect arson after ‘flammable liquid’ found at scene of house fire."