Blaze ‘suspicious’ at vacant Dayton house

Flames were shooting through the roof of a two-story house Sunday night, Jan. 18, 2015.

Crews were called at 7:39 p.m. to 26 John St., between Huffman Avenue and East Fifth Street. Heavy smoke drifted blocks away, and could be seen across the roadway in the area of U.S. 35 and Steve Whalen Boulevard.

The home was engulfed when firefighters arrived, said Cheryl Clark, district chief for the Dayton Fire Department.

“We had fire going on the first, second floor and in the attic,” she said. “We went defensive right away because it’s a vacant structure; we knew nobody was in there; and the amount of fire that we had when we got here, we didn’t want to get anybody injured.”

Clark said the fire is suspicious because the house was vacant with no gas or electric service. Also, she said neighbors reported the house was known for squatters, though no one was found inside.

A damage estimate was not immediately available.

The fire occurred in a neighborhood hit by numerous arsons, particularly on Linden Avenue. However, Clark said there is not a known connection to previous incidents, and that the fire Sunday night is under investigation.