Clarksville police arrest suspect in fire that gutted cabin at George Rogers Clark historic site

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Clarksville Police Department has released images of the man they believe is responsible for setting a fire Thursday evening that gutted a cabin on the historic site that was once home to George Rogers Clark.

The image, released on Friday, shows a shirtless man in black drawstring pants and a backwards blue cap.

According to Clarksville Police Chief Mark Palmer, the man is identified as Jason Fosse.

Palmer told WDRB that Fosse is in custody as of Friday afternoon and charged with arson.

The fire, which was near the Falls of the Ohio State Park, was reported at about 6 p.m. Thursday. Clarksville Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs said the cabin fire was one of four separate fires that broke out in the area that are being investigated.

"We had several fires in the south Clarksville area, one being the Clark Cabin," Skaggs said. "That cabin has been here since about 2001, and when firefighters arrived on scene it was fully engulfed in flames."

Neighbors who gathered at the scene told WDRB News they would be on the lookout for anyone suspicious -- thinking someone deliberately started the fire.

"Some guy's afternoon of fun just turned into losing it all," Chuck Pierce said. "It's just silly. It's just wrong. It just shouldn't have happened."

IMAGES | Cabin at George Rogers Clark historic site in Clarksville gutted by fire

They say it's a big loss for the community.

The site was Clark's home from 1803-1809, according to the Falls of the Ohio website.

Clark and his older brother built his home there in 1803 as a place to spend his retirement years, according to the National Parks Service.

The cabin was rebuilt in 2001, after the original was destroyed in 1854.

The site was also an "integral part of the Lewis and Clark expedition story," according to the Falls of of the Ohio.

On Friday afternoon, Indiana DNR Director Dan Bortner issued the following statement:

"For twenty years, the reproduction of the George Rogers Clark cabin at Falls of the Ohio State Park has educated Hoosiers and our guests of the important role the site, and region, played in the history of our nation. This is where Merriweather Lewis and William Clark first met, in 1803, and began their journey of discovery together. It has long served as a peaceful place for Americans to meet, reflect, and celebrate events in their lives. We are deeply saddened by this loss."

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