The investigation into the fire that destroyed a house in Jefferson is now closed.

Jefferson Police Captain Heath Enns tells Raccoon Valley Radio the State Fire Marshal’s office is calling the house fire from August 3rd at 203 South Oak Street accidental in nature.

Enns says the mother told police that she was cooking potatoes on the stove in the kitchen of the home. She then went to check on her infant child, who was sleeping upstairs of the two-story home. She fell asleep and then woke up to the smell of smoke. The mother then told police that she tried to put out the fire with a blanket and water, but the fire got worse. That’s when she grabbed her kids and left the house. Since the fire, the family has been living in hotels.

The State Fire Marshal’s office was called in because Enns says evidence at the scene didn’t match up with the story the mother had told him.