Suspicious fires hit two of company's lumber yards

MOSBY, Mo. -- Fires that authorities believed to be of suspicious origin hit two lumber yards in Clay County Monday night and early Tuesday.

The first fire was reported at the Porter Building Supply Store in Kearney about 10:30 p.m. The second was reported a couple of hours later at the Porter store in Mosby. Flames could be seen for miles, and firefighters from a number of communities were called in to help.

The fires continued to burn off and on throughout Tuesday.

Larry Scott, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said both lumber yards were completely burned, but the store remained standing at the Kearney site.

Investigators from the state fire marshal's office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were at the scene.

Scott said authorities had not determined what happened and teams were coming to investigate.

"I didn't think anybody hated us this much," Mack Porter of the family that owns the business told Kansas City television station KCTV. "We've done a lot of nice things for a lot of people. But apparently someone didn't like us."