Firefighters say an early Monday morning house fire in Madison County appears to be suspicious.
The house on Sycamore Street quickly burned to the ground. Now neighbors are speaking out, saying they saw two men running from the scene.

Neighbors say the home nestled near the dead-end of Sycamore burned in a matter of minutes.

"By the time we got outside--there was another explosion," explained Wayne Gill, who was staying with his brother next door.

"We took a water hose and climbed on top of the roof. Then we soaked the tree."

While trying to keep the fire from spreading, Gill says his brother saw two people in the shadows watching the house next door burn.

"My brother chased 2 of 'em outta here. They were on foot running. They were wearing black outfits."

Fire crews arrived soon after but couldn't get too close because of a railroad overpass. Gill says it wouldn't have mattered because the recently condemned home already burned to the ground.

"It went up fast. Too fast. It didn't ave any electric to it. It had been sitting for years."

The owners, who live out of town, say the secluded location on a dead-end street has made it a popular gathering spot late at night.

Firefighters are working with police to investigate this suspicious fire. They say right now, they don't know how it started. Nobody was hurt.