House fire in Dayton considered ‘suspicious’; Smoke visible for miles

DAYTON — A house was destroyed by a fire in Dayton Tuesday evening.

As reported on News Center 7 at 11, Dayton fire crews were dispatched to the 500 block of Dakota Street on reports of a fire at approximately 5:54 p.m.

“It was just a vacant house that hasn’t been lived in for years,” Andrew Turner said.

Turner said he and his wife were heading to a dance class when he saw firetrucks outside his house.

“So sure enough I come outside and all of a sudden the house is just up, I mean probably about 20-30 foot flames that were going,” Turner said.

Turner said this spring the city boarded up the place.

“But the last few weeks, my wife had noticed that it was open,” he said.

>>PHOTOS: Firefighters working to extinguish house fire in Dayton

Dayton District Chief Andrew Wiley said the fire is being considered “suspicious.”

The original home is a total loss and there was also damage to a home to the left, Wiley said.

For years vacant house fires have been problems for the fire department, and the city is working to get rid of nuisance properties.

“I understand it’s a long process, so probably they just can’t keep up,” Turner said.

That’s one of the reasons his neighbors pay attention to vacant homes on their street, and call the police if they have to.

“We want to make sure everything stays the way it is,” he said.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 13

Dakota Street Fire Firefighters work edto extinguish a house fire on Tuesday. (Taylor Robertson/STAFF)

©2024 Cox Media Group