Police in Hope, Arkansas believe that the childhood home of former President Bill Clinton was damaged by an arsonist early Friday.
A driver called to police at 3:17 a.m. local time to report smoke coming from the side of the building. Hope Police Chief J.R. Wilson told NBC News that there was a “strong odor of accelerant at the point of origin. It smelled like gasoline.”
When police arrived, the fire was put out quickly, Wilson said.
Wilson also told USA Today that the number “55” was spray-painted on a walkway leading to the two-story white frame house. There was also an “XX,” a frown with a tongue sticking out painted on a door.
“We have not seen this graffiti before," Wilson told USA Today. "It has no meaning to us. From my perspective, with the graffiti that was drawn and how the arson occurred, I would highly suspect a juvenile or juveniles.”
Wilson said that the house can be repaired. He said that there is no evidence to show that the suspect or suspects went into the home.
Clinton’s childhood home was declared a National Historic Site in 2011. It has been called his “birthplace,” but he was actually born at Julia Chester Hospital.