Authorities in Ellis County are investigating a string of suspicious fire that have occurred over the past several weeks.

 

The latest incident occurred in the City of Russell on Saturday night. The Russell Fire Department was dispatched to a local park for a report of a trash can fire. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they discovered that the object on fire was not a trash can, but was instead a portable restroom that had been placed near the City baseball fields for the recreational season. When crews attempted to extinguish the blaze, it reacted violently with water, indicating that an accelerant was likely used.

 

Fire officials say this latest fire fourth such fire reported and is likely part of a pattern of portable restrooms being set ablaze over the past several weeks.

 

Authorities continue to investigate the fires.

 

Photo courtesy Russell Fire Department