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East Albany home goes up in flames

• A fire destroys one East Albany home early Monday morning.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — Albany fire investigators might not be able to determine the cause of an early Monday fire that destroyed an East Albany home because of the severity of the fire, officials said Monday.

A blaze that started just before 4 a.m. Monday destroyed a house at 1300 E. Society Avenue, Albany Fire Chief James Carswell said. Because of the level of damage to the structure, it will be difficult to determine a cause, he said.

“I don’t know that we’ll ever determine the exact cause at this point,” he said. Electricity to the home was turned off last week, he added.

The fire caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to the house, Deputy Fire Chief David Eddins said.

Carswell said that neighbors have complained about drugs being sold near the home. Several pit bulls were taken from the property Monday because they appeared to have been mistreated, he said.

That information could not be verified with the Albany Police Department Monday, but spokesperson Phyllis Banks-Whitley said she would check again today about the dogs and drug complaints, though she said she did see where animal control had been called to the location.

Animal Control is one of APD’s special-operations units, Banks-Whitley said.

Carswell said the fire department was having trouble finding out who lived in the home because it had been “subleased” to several people.

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