GUNTERSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — On the morning of October 3, Richard Baker woke up to a sight he could have never imagined.
“I noticed something flicker, and then I took another step, and the boat house was just fully engulfed,” he said.
His boat house that sits behind his home on Guntersville Lake was on fire, and he immediately called 911.
“The police and the fire department came right out, but it was just too far gone,” Baker said. “They couldn’t do anything.”
It was a total loss. The Guntersville Police Department started investigating the blaze, and on Monday night, they determined the fire was an ‘intentional act of arson.’
“There’s no room for these particular types of crimes, and there’s no reason Guntersville should have an arson,” said Mark Fortune. He is the chief investigator for the Guntersville PD.
Fortune said they were able to pull surveillance video from the house.
“There was a boat with two men that pulled up, one of them got out on the boat dock and appeared to be fooling around and probably put gas on the side of this boat house,” he said. “It burned all the way to the water shortly thereafter.”
Guntersville Police said their main goal now is identifying these two individuals, and they need the public’s help.
“If there are homeowners out there that live in the area that have home video, we’d be happy to take a look at it,” he said.
Baker said he’s angry and wants justice, that’s why he’s offering a $15,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrests of those responsible.
He said his two boats were lost in the fire as well.
Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the Guntersville Police Department at (256) 571-7571.
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