Fire destroys ‘high-dollar’ vehicles, warehouse; damage exceeds $700k

DAYTON — UPDATE @ 2:30 a.m.

Firefighters estimate damages caused in a warehouse fire on Springfield Street in Dayton could exceed $700,000.

Crews were dispatched on a reported fully involved structure fire in the 1100 block of Springfield Street around 11:25 p.m. Sunday.

Dayton Fire District Chief James Rose said the structure, originally described as a business, was a nine-bay vehicle warehouse, with a wide variety of vehicles in storage including “high-dollar” recreational vehicles.

The structure, and all contents of the warehouse are considered a total loss. Rose said the damage estimates will start around $700,000 with the actual dollar amount expected to increase.

Rose said firefighters were not able the stop the blaze where it started, due to the large fuel load inside the structure. Propane tanks from the RVs, fiberglass, and upholstery all were contributing fuel sources to the fire.

Firefighters reported hearing several explosions when arriving on scene, which Rose said was most likely the propane tanks exploding and firefighters were forced to keep their distance.

Rose said crews were able to keep the fire from spreading to nearby structures that contained even more collector and antique cars, as well as personal memorabilia from the owner.

“It was a real high-dollar potential loss tonight,” Rose said. “Understandably the gentleman is devastated. He lost a life-long collection of items.”

No injuries were reported.

FIRST REPORT

Dayton firefighters are on the scene of a reported business fire in the area of Springfield and Irwin streets.

Crews were dispatched just before 11:25 p.m. and reported the business was fully involved in smoke and flames.

Scanner traffic indicates the building houses mobile homes with a ‘large fuel load’ inside the building. Firefighters were urged to exercise extreme caution and not approach the building.

We have a crew heading to the scene and we’ll update this page as new details become available.

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