Fire at Lockridge Post Office called suspicious

A post-office fire Tuesday in southeastern Iowa is being considered suspicious. State Department of Public Safety spokesman Jim Saunders says it was in the Jefferson County town of Lockridge, very early Tuesday morning. Fairfield and Lockridge fire departments responded about one A.M., and while putting it out found signs that they say make them think the fire’s suspicious. The local fire departments called in the state fire marshal’s office to confirm their suspicions. The agent from the Fire Marshal’s office gathered enough evidence to rule it a case of arson in the preliminary investigation, though there’s no suspect and they need a lot more information. Saunders says they won’t tell details of what made the investigator suspicious, at least not until the investigation’s farther along. Fairfield fire officials, the Lockridge police, the Jefferson County Sheriff or the state’s Arson Hotline will take any info from people who know something about what happened before or after the fire. The statewide toll-free arson hotline number is 800-532-1459.