Fire rips through newly sold apartment building, man detained

DAYTON — Investigators said a man is getting questioned after a fire broke out at a apartment building in Dayton.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 5, around 8:30 a.m. Dayton firefighters were called to East Third Street and North Keowee Street for reports of heavy smoke coming from a vacant apartment building.

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“There is a building on fire,” a 911 caller told dispatchers. “There is flames coming out of the upper window.”

The fire did a lot of damage to the building that already needed repairs.

“To see a disaster like this happen, where I used to live at, I mean it’s kind of heartbreaking,” Mark Beckwith said.

Beckwith said he lived in the apartment building for seven years.

Members of his extended family owned it for 50 years, just selling it last month.

>> PHOTOS: ‘Heavy fire’ rips through apartment building in Dayton

He said the new owner was fixing up a house right next door and repairing the building for new tenants.

“It’s just terrible ... for the neighborhood and people trying to put money into the neighborhood and to see it go down like this, it’s got to stop,” Beckwith said.

Firefighters put out the flames quickly, but investigators were busy tracking down a man a 911 caller spotted walking away.

“They gave a good description. One of our officers was able to follow that person of interest and they were able to take that person of interest into custody,” Sgt. Creigee Coleman with Dayton Police Department said.

Coleman and firefighters clarified the man has not been formally arrested yet.

The identity of the man detained or an official determination of arson has not been released.

We will continue to follow this story.

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