Bill Clinton's first home damaged in suspected arson

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[h=4]Bill Clinton's first home damaged in suspected arson[/h]Authorities say arson is suspected in blaze at historic site in Hope, Ark.

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The William J. Clinton home in Hope, Arkansas, is where the former president was born. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 3:20 a.m.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook


This is a photo of what is known as former president Bill Clinton's birthplace home in Hope, Ark. The house sustaFriday morning fire.(Photo: HOPE (ARKANSAS) STAR)


Former president Bill Clinton's first boyhood home in Hope, Ark., was damaged by fire early Friday in what authorities suspect is arson.
Hope Police Chief J.R. Wilson said firefighters were alerted at 3:20 a.m. after a passing motorist spotted smoke coming from what is known as the William J. Clinton Birthplace. Wilson told USA TODAY that firefighters on the scene also spotted graffiti on the building and that investigators suspect arson as the cause.
The fire caused minor damage to the exterior of the east side of the house, plus smoke and water damage to the interior. Wilson said the fire appeared to have started at the base of the east exterior wall. By the time firefighters arrived, flames reached about 8 feet high on the two-story white frame house.
"We suspect arson, because of the point of origin," Wilson said. "Also, there was strong smell of accelerant at the point of the origin of what appeared ... to smell like gasoline," Wilson said.
Wilson said police found "55" spray-painted in black on a walkway leading to the north side of the home. Officers also spotted "XX" painted above what appeared to be a frown with a tongue sticking out on a door of the building.
"We have not seen this graffiti before," Wilson said. "It has no meaning to us. From my perspective, with the graffiti that was drawn and how the arson occurred, I would highly suspect a juvenile or juveniles."
Hope Fire Department Chief Dale Glanton said National Park Service officials have taken control of the investigation and were on site Friday morning.
The park service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While the site is known as Clinton's birthplace, it's actually his first home. (He was born at nearby Julia Chester Hospital.)
The Clinton Birthplace Foundation transferred the property to the National Park Service in 2011. The park service operates and maintains the site, which was once owned by Clinton's grandparents.
The future president lived in the home for parts of his childhood.
Wilson said the home is a point of pride for residents of Hope. In Clinton's rise to the White House, he spotlighted his humble beginnings in the small Arkansas city as a central part of his biography.
"The good thing is that the home remains structurally sound," Wilson said. "If you look at it from the road, you can't even tell a fire has occurred."
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