Fire under investigation

GORDONVILLE, Mo. -- A suspicious fire that destroyed an abandoned rural house off County Road 324 late Thursday remains under investigation, said Gordonville fire chief Gary Matlock.

When fire personnel were called to the scene about 9:30 p.m., the house was engulfed. No one was injured.

The house had been vacant for some time, Matlock said.

A young witness said he saw a black or dark-colored car with three people leaving the drive leading to the home a few hours before the fire was first noticed.

"There was a gate there, but somebody had taken it off the hinges," Matlock said.