Future of Wright Company factory in Dayton questioned after large fire

DAYTON — There are all kinds of questions about what is next for the Wright Brothers’ first factory after what fire did this weekend.

>>PHOTOS: Dayton firefighters back at Wright Company factory following fire

Dayton firefighters were back on scene Monday evening in the area of Inland Avenue and W. Third Street.

News Center 7′s John Bedell asked if they were putting out any hotspots.

While they could not confirm that, a spokesperson said, “I would assume so. They have been in and out all day for spot checks of smoke and hot spots.

>>PHOTOS: Sky 7 shows fire damage to historic building in Dayton

There have been plans for years to preserve the building and for people to be able to tour the Wright Brother airplane factory.

They would also get a sense of what it was like back when Orville and Wilbur were walking around in Dayton.

We continue to ask, what is next for this place after Sunday’s fire?

>>WATCH: Sky 7 shows fire damage of historic building in Dayton; Fire placed under control

Jim Hingst and his wife were visiting from Pickerington at the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

“The birth of aviation from the Wright brothers, how they kind of started and how I buy six different shops,” he said.

Just up the block on West Third Street, the Wright Brothers’ first airplane factory is a part of the National Historical Park.

>>PHOTOS: Fire burn commercial building in Dayton

It burned this weekend, severely damaging the building listed on the National Historic Register and Hingst thinks it’s important to restore the place after the fire.

“Well, I did for tourism and history, things like that,” he told Bedell.

Hingst wants to know what is next for the oldest airplane factory left standing the world.

>>‘I’m hoping the structure can be saved;’ Fire damages historic building in Dayton

Bedell reached out to four different people on Monday to find out what is going to happen to the Wright Brothers factory after the fire.

The Dayton Fire Department, the National Aviation Heritage Area and two officials with the National Park system either said no to on-camera interviews or sent statements.

They referred him to the City of Dayton for questions.

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Bedell says the building was vacant on Sunday and the Dayton Fire Department did not answer any questions Monday if they are looking into the possibility of the fire being suspicious.

The department said the cause of the fire is under investigation and they are periodically checking on the building for potential hot spots.

At the National Park, Hingst says he would like to see work continue to save the park.

“You’d like to kind of preserve as much history as you can,” he said.

But for now, the future of this historic site is up in the air.

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The fifth call made by Bedell was to the City of Dayton. He asked if they would go on camera and they said no. They sent News Center 7 a statement Monday afternoon.

“The City and its partners are saddened over the fire this weekend at the historic Wright Brothers airplane factory (located in West Dayton). The City of Dayton has been working to preserve the historic factory buildings and oversee future development of the area. Currently, the Dayton Fire Department is assessing damage and trying to determine the cause of the fire. Additionally, the City’s development team is in the process of contacting stakeholders and partners to convene a meeting to determine next steps for future redevelopment.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the DFD Fire Investigations Unit. While some smoke may continue to linger in the West Dayton area throughout the day on Monday as Dayton Fire crews continue to address remaining isolated areas of smoldering debris, there are not currently any significant air quality concerns for the adjacent neighborhoods. Water quality is not affected by this fire incident, as the site involved is not near the underground aquifers of the Source Water Protection Area.

In 2017, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), approved all environmental clean-up activities, including the removal of all Underground Storage Tanks (UST) at the site. The City-owned Property meets all applicable standards contained in Ohio Revised Code for various uses including commercial and industrial land use.”

We will continue to provide updates on this developing story.

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