Authorities are investigating what is described as a “suspicious fire” in Florala.

Fire personnel responded to a home on Ninth Avenue shortly after 1:30 a.m. to find the home unoccupied and fully engulfed, said Florala’s assistant police chief Chris Jackson.

The home of Katherine Piner and Richard Acree was a complete loss, he said.

Jackson didn’t comment on why fire officials deemed the fire suspicious, and only stated that the case is being handled by the Alabama Fire Marshal’s office.

-Stephanie Nelson