FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Authorities were searching Thursday for a female soldier who was missing after a suspicious fire burned her apartment near Fort Bragg.
The soldier has not been identified while police tried to reach her family and find out if anyone knew where she was, police said.
The Thursday morning blaze is being investigated as an arson and missing persons case, Police Capt. David Houp said.
Police said the soldier was assigned to Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, which is home to the 82nd Airborne Division.
The fire was reported about 9 a.m. by residents who said they smelled gas. No body was found inside the apartment, which was only burned on the inside. Police discovered a broken window and evidence of fire in two bedrooms. There was no scorching outside.
State and federal arson investigators were assisting police at the scene, which was blocked off by yellow tape. Other residents in the apartment building were evacuated because of fire concerns.
The fire comes three weeks after the body of another female Fort Bragg soldier, Spc. Megan Touma, was discovered in a motel nearby. The pregnant soldier had been missing several days.
Houp said there was no connection between the missing soldier and Houma's death.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox