What could’ve caused this? 🤔

I thought a heat source at first, but I can't see why any one would apply heat that low on the door. I have to agree with @memtb about a racoon trying to find a snack. That would fit the height and what looks like claw marks around the bare area. A person trying to gain entry should be working on the door closer to the door knob, not the bottom of the door.
 
The way that the pattern is on both doors(or the door and jam), I am thinking it was some kind of chemical/fire type of mark.
Only other thing I think is possible is an animal forcing its way in over and over. Rubbing on the door mainly but also on the jam.
weird stuff for sure.
Maybe a mistress slithering in down low to avoid motion detectors?
 
Which way is the sun around noon? Looks like it could be UV exposure to the door, but if not, it looks like some type of heat damage.

Depends on the material I would think…identifying the type of siding would help.
Fiber cement kind of looks like that when you take a torch to it. I've seen it in fire code demonstrations.



 
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Looks like some kind of chemical reaction from a spill, accidental or deliberate - like a spill of some corrosive agent like acid or strong basic agent like lye - paint remover?. Heat probably would have caused blistering or melting if less than combustion or charring. Is it only superficial, like can it be washed off?

Possibly scrapings or small samples may be obtained and sent to a lab for analysis looking for reactive components resulting from strong acids or basic reaction, lye. Any metallic components dissolved into solution, like lead, iron, or aluminum from pigments or metallic surfaces would appear in the scrapings from any chemical reaction.

Looks like painted (trim), vinyl (trim), or aluminum surfaces were affected.
 
Can you say why the "dog" option is off the table?

It sure looks like wear from an animal-- with dirt/fur oil stains around it---- can the outer portion be scratched off With a fingernail ?
Does it feel dirty/greasy/oily to the touch?

How long have the residents lived there? Were there prior owners/renters ---- you'd be amazed on what people observe and don't pay attention to on their own houses --- looks like that spot took years to progress to that state
 
Can you say why the "dog" option is off the table?
Well, the homeowners are currently in Europe and their little ankle biter is being cared for elsewhere. They say that the mark/damage is "new"…..but it just doesn't look that way to me.
can the outer portion be scratched off With a fingernail ?
Nope
Does it feel dirty/greasy/oily to the touch?
Nope….dry and smooth.
looks like that spot took years to progress to that state
I'm leaning toward this conclusion as well.
 
Well, the homeowners are currently in Europe and their little ankle biter is being cared for elsewhere. They say that the mark/damage is "new"…..but it just doesn't look that way to me.

Nope

Nope….dry and smooth.

I'm leaning toward this conclusion as well.
An animal leaves oily/greasy residue on doors from their fur-- If it's not greasy/oily then I'd tend to rule out any animal

I'm not sure I would totally believe the owners just yet---- "everyone is a suspect until ruled out with factual evidence"
 
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As a claims adjuster for many years I am guessing that this was there before the theft. I cant tell you how many times a claimant would say that there was no previous damage to an item such as a vehicle or part of a home and their statement turned out to be false.

To me, this looks like a dog or cat scratched the door to get inside. I have a dog that does this every time a thunderstorm comes by.

Possibly some other critter did this but it likely didn't happen overnight. There are visible claw marks in the paint above the darkened area below. The door seal is also torn away and not melted. Are those smudge marks on the glass? Maybe from the animal's nose or feet?

Unless I am not seeing this right in the photos, heat, explosion, or chemical looks to be out of the question.
 
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