UPDATE @ 5:15 p.m.: Investigators are focusing on an electrical issue as the possible cause of the Grafton Avenue house fire that caused major damage, an explosion that nearly blew a roofer into the sky and sent three Dayton firefighters to be evaluated for possible injuries.
“We had a power line come down, actually come down proximal to one of our crews that was working in the attic” of the two-story house in the 400 block, Dayton Fire Chief Jeff Payne said.
Workers with Dependable Construction in Fairborn were installing a roof when gutters severed power lines connected to the house, company co-owner Leigh Haepperly said.
“The electrical line was installed incorrectly through the gutters and due to the vibration of them being in the front of the roof stripping it off, the gutters severed the power lines,” Haepperly said. “One guy said he almost got blown off the roof from the boom.”
Firefighters were dispatched about 10:50 a.m. on a report of an explosion.
Payne said the official cause of the fire is being listed as undetermined, but “it appears it might be electrical possibly in origin. But that’s not official as of yet.”
Two adults and two children in the house escaped unharmed. A neighboring residence was evacuated as a precaution, and workers at the nearby Grafton Oaks Nursing Center had to close windows and keep the facility’s 92 residents inside because of the heavy smoke.
Much of the neighborhood lost power because of the fire, but service in the affected area was restored by 5 p.m., according to the Dayton Power & Light outage center.
UPDATE @ 12:15 p.m. DP&L advises that power will be off for "a couple of hours," according to a dispatcher with the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center. At 12:15 p.m., DP&L's outage map indicated 1, 729 customers without power.
It’s unknown if all of those are from the Grafton Avenue area.
UPDATE @ 12:05 a.m.: Our team on the scene tells us that power has been shut off for most of the neighborhood around Grafton Avenue. The smoke is "everywhere," according to neighbors.
UPDATE @11:45 a.m.: Three firefighters reportedly were injured and are being checked at the scene.
The firefighters were in the house when they were shocked or jolted by an electrical issue going on, said Dayton fire District Chief James Rose. Their condition is not known.
The house was occupied by two children and two adults, but they escaped.
UPDATE @ 11:40 a.m. Dispatchers requested mutual aid and additional fire response about 11:30 a.m. as the flames threatened neighboring structures. There are reports of electric lines down and at 11:36 a.m. the electricity was turned off. So far there have been no injuries.
FIRST REPORT
Fire crews are on the scene of a fully engulfed house fire in Dayton.
The fire was reported about 11 a.m. in the 400 block of Grafton Avenue. Initial reports indicate that part of the building has collapsed.
It’s unknown if anyone has been injured.
