Burned remains of the Brennan House in Wellfleet, Massachusetts/NPS

In what is being described as deliberate acts of arson, National Park Service authorities are seeking information concerning fires that destroyed two park residential structures at Cape Cod National Seashore that, fortunately, were unoccupied at the time.

The fires that destroyed the Brennan House and Porter Cottage were reported early on December 23. All that remained of the Brennan House was its foundation and chimney. Firefighters extinguished a small brush fire apparently caused by the burning structure, and rangers found that the nearby Porter Cottage was also burned to the ground.

An interagency criminal investigation is being conducted by the NPS and the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit with the aim of identifying those responsible for damaging the NPS property.

“All seashore assets, whether they be physical, natural or cultural, are our responsibility. The NPS is charged with resource protection, and we, in partnership with the local community, take that mandate seriously. The seashore is alarmed by this deliberate destruction of NPS resources, and we strongly encourage anyone with information about this criminal act to reach out to investigators,” said acting Superintendent Shawn P. Mulligan.

If you have information about this incident, you can call the statewide Arson Hotline at 800-682-9229, or contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch. The Arson Hotline is part of the Arson Watch Reward Program. Up to $5,000 is offered for information leading to the identification, and arrest of those responsible for this crime. You don’t have to tell the agents who you are, but please tell them what you know:

CALL or TEXT the ISB Tip Line 888-653-0009

ONLINE at www.nps.gov/ISB and click “Submit a Tip”

EMAIL e-mail us

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