Xenia house fire caused by furnace or power lines downed by ice, captain says

UPDATE @ 7:20 p.m.: The furnace or downed power lines could be what led to the house fire in the 800 block of Lexington Avenue, Xenia Fire Division Capt. Jason Kinley said.

>> DP&L: Restoring power could be 'multi-day event'

"It looks like the power lines have been down all day from the ice," he said. "We're not sure if that contributed, but we are investigating."

Kinley said crews were dispatched on a report of a furnace fire in the one-story home. There was lots of smoke he said, and the occupants were out when crews arrived. There were no injuries.

A Dayton Power & Light crew is on scene now, dealing with the downed power lines.

Kinley said Xenia fire crews responded to at least 38 calls for service during the day Thursday, the majority of those calls for downed power lines or downed trees.

>> SEE: Ice gallery of photos from today's storm

It's too soon to estimate the dollar loss for the structure and its contents, the captain said.

The fire left the home inhabitable, he said, so the residents will have to find other arrangements at least for tonight.

Lexington Avenue remains shut down until further notice.

INITIAL REPORT

Crews are on the scene of a working structure fire in the 800 block of Lexington Avenue in Xenia.

The incident was dispatched about 6:15 p.m. We have not heard any reports of injuries.

We are hearing that there are wires down.

We have a crew on the way to check out this fire. We will update this developing report as we learn more.

Got a tip? Call our monitored 24-hour line, 937-259-2237, or send it to newsdesk@cmgohio.com