For the second time in less than a week a fire on the same road in the Brogden community east of Smithfield has been ruled suspicious.
Early Sunday morning a fire was discovered at a vacant house in the 800 block of Neuse Bend Road off Grabtown Road. The structure, owned by Thomas Keith Worley of Princeton, sustained an estimated $15,000 in damages.
On Feb. 20th, a fire destroyed a nearby barn on Neuse Bend Road. A witness reported hearing two loud explosions from inside the barn and saw a suspicious vehicle speeding away from the area.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and Johnston County Fire Marshal’s Office are jointly investigating the fires which are both being treated as suspicious. Officials have not said if they think the two fires have any connection.
