A South Carolina judge's house was gutted in fire on Sunday, injuring three people. Meanwhile, the authorities have rejected claims that the blaze was set intentionally.
According to a report by The Guardian, the fire at Diane Goodstein's home on Edisto Beach in Colleton county erupted on Saturday, sending three members of her family to the hospital, including her husband, a former state senator. However, the judge was not at her residence as she was walking her dogs.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for the South Carolina state law enforcement division (Sled) said: "The investigation is active and ongoing. More information may be available as the investigation continues."
Mark Keel, the state law enforcement division (Sled) chief, issued a statement stating: "At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set. Sled agents have preliminarily found there is no evidence to support a pre-fire explosion."
The judge had reportedly received several death threats.
The Guardian reported that the cause of the blaze not being immediately known and reports that Goodstein had faced death threats prompted some to question whether the fire at the judge's home may be the US's latest example of politically themed violence.
Nancy Gertner, a former judge and current professor of practice at Harvard, told The Guardian that "judges are worried about their own safety".
"There are people who are inflamed by the incendiary comments of our president and members of Congress about judges," she said. "Public officials have legitimized attacks on judges with whom they disagree."