Vacant Sherman Street duplex catches fire a second time; Arson investigators on scene

DAYTON — UPDATE @ 5:56 a.m.:

The fire in the Sherman Street duplex is mostly out, but this is actually the second time that this particular vacant house has caught fire, according to District Chief Mike Fasnacht of the Dayton Fire Department.

>>Fire crews looking for cause of Dayton car fire

Fasnacht said that fire crews arrived on scene and found heavy flames coming from the rear of the duplex, but firefighters’ main concern was protecting a neighboring, occupied house.

There were some issues while fighting the fire, Fasnacht said. One issue was the amount of fire, and another was previous fire damage, which made fire crews need to find a new way to reach the upper floor.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Fasnacht said that this is a suspicious fire, and that arson investigators were on the scene.

Firefighters didn’t find anyone in the house.

“This is an active area for fires over the last several years,” Fasnacht said.

We have reported on fires on Sherman Street several times.

We responded to this same house on Oct. 28, where fire was again reported coming mainly from the upper floor.

>>RELATED: NEW: Witness describes waking up to neighboring house on fire on Sherman Street

A neighbor who called in the fire in October told us that there were several fires in that area, and we found that we had reported on fires in that area on Sept. 13 and Feb. 23, both in the 100 block of Sherman Street.

>>RELATED: Crews battle electrical fire in basement at Dayton home

>>RELATED: Vacant house fire spreads, damages neighboring homes in Dayton

UPDATE @ 4:24 a.m.:

Our crew on the scene reported that the fire is largely knocked down now, and affected a duplex residence in the 100 block of Sherman Street.

INITIAL REPORT:

Fire crews are on the scene of a house fire in the area of Sherman Street and Yates Street in Dayton.

Scanner traffic indicated that the fire may be in danger of damaging a neighboring house.

We are working to learn more and will update this story with any new information.