CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A house fire in Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood is being investigated as a possible arson, officials said Thursday.
The Charlotte Fire Department responded to the fire in the 1100 block of East 35th Street, near Clemson Avenue Park, around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Officials said two adults, two children and a puppy were displaced by the fire. The dog, a puppy named Ice, was rescued from underneath a bed, according to Charlotte fire officials.
The fire caused an estimated $41,000 in damage.
The family is being assisted by the Red Cross at this time.
A neighbor, Barbara Eveland, told WCNC Charlotte's Jane Monreal, she wasn't surprised.
"I suspect arson," Eveland said. "Because of the kind of tenants that have been in this house."
A crime map search dating back to April of this year shows two calls in this area near the corner of E. 35th Street and Holt. One is for possession of marijuana. The other is for disturbing the peace.
Edwin Shaver, the chief fire investigator for the Charlotte Fire Department task force, said there are a number of reasons they're seeing an approximately 25% increase in arson cases from this time last year. They include crime concealment, mental illness crisis and domestic violence.
"The increase in vagrants and squatters and city limits that have contributed to the cases, increased cases of incendiary fires in the city," Shaver said.
Investigators haven't released any suspect information or announced any arrests in connection with the fire. Any person with information about this incident or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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