PHOENIX — Police say a fire that destroyed more than a dozen homes under construction in Phoenix Sunday night is now being investigated as possible arson.
Firefighters were called to the scene near 59th Avenue and Baseline Road around 11:30 p.m. Sunday where multiple homes were engulfed in flames.
Watch ABC15's initial coverage of the fire in the video player above.
Phoenix Fire Department officials say more than 75 firefighters from seven Valley cities were called and eventually put out the blaze.
Flames destroyed up to 17 homes and severely damaged three others.
The homes are part of a D.R. Horton build-to-rent community, Ascend at South Mountain, scheduled to be finished by year’s end. The homes were not available for lease yet.
Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller said there were multiple security cameras on the property, which will help with the investigation.
Officials said the fire was "suspicious and maybe an arson," asking anyone with information to come forward.
Silent Witness is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in this case.
*** UP TO $1,000.00 REWARD OFFERED ***
— Silent Witness (@SilentwitnessAZ) April 10, 2024
On Sunday, April 7th 2024 at about 11:20 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department responded to a residential construction site located at 8050 S 59th Ave regarding an active fire of homes under construction. The fire destroyed multiple homes pic.twitter.com/OTOo5pbUTt
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
“We’ve not ruled out anything. Everything is on the table,” Captain Rob McDade, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department, previously told ABC15.
He said the Phoenix Fire Investigations Task Force – made of fire investigators, police detectives, and an arson dog — worked at the scene.
See video of the aftermath in the player below:
This was the second major blaze impacting homes under construction that ABC15 reported on within a week.
A fire recently ripped through an apartment complex site in Prescott Valley, causing an estimated $60 million in damage. That incident is believed to be linked to a string of property damage incidents and other fires in the Prescott Valley area.
There have also been several Valley fires that have resulted in injuries since the end of last month — a baby and a woman were hurt in a fire in Glendale, and a man and child were hurt in a Phoenix apartment fire.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
