SAUGUS — A Susan Drive home that caught fire on Halloween night is now the subject of a police investigation, after multiple reports of break-ins at the home in the past week.
On Nov. 30 at 4:38 p.m., a resident called police to report that a padlock on the door of 31 Susan Drive appeared to be broken, and the door to the home was wide open. Then, at 8:23 p.m. the same day, a resident again called police, reporting that she had returned to the property with a board-up company and they could hear someone inside the property. Police were called to the property again on Dec. 1, and the caller reported that items were missing from the home.
The Halloween night fire displaced “five or six people,” according to Fire Chief Michael Newbury. Fire officials were unable to determine a cause of the blaze, which he said started outside the home and had spread up to the attic by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.
The home was likely rendered a “total loss” because of the damages, Newbury said.
At the scene of the blaze Monday afternoon, wood boards could be seen covering the windows, and a small sign reading “smile, you’re on camera” was posted above what appeared to be a garage door. The front of the home seemed almost untouched by fire.
Efforts to reach owners of the home were unsuccessful.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
