In the early morning hours of December 10, 2007, the high school in Jones, Oklahoma, burned down in the midst of a massive ice storm that had knocked out power to most of the town. First responders made entry into the building and encountered heavy fire overhead near the intersection of the main north-south and east-west hallways in the north end of the building. The fire resisted suppression efforts and spread through the building via the ceiling and common enclosed roof spaces. The following day the burned-out remains of a second smaller fire were discovered in a locker room in a separate gymnasium building adjacent to the destroyed main building. The doors of both buildings were locked and no signs of forced entry, other than those made by firefighters, were observed.
A fire investigation was subsequently conducted. Given the numerous power outages and lightning associated with the storm, an electrical fire cause was hypothesized. After several days of investigating the fire, however, no evidence was found to indicate that the electrical systems in either building were energized during the fire, and witnesses and alarm records indicated the power to the high school had been out for hours before the fire was discovered. Just as it started to look like the fire would be classified as undetermined, a unique fire pattern was identified on the front of a gas-fired water heater that changed the course of the investigation.