TROTWOOD — New security video reveals more about a fire that damaged a Trotwood house a week ago.
On August 7, Trotwood firefighters and officers were dispatched around 3:22 a.m. to the 6300 block of Mantz Avenue near Olive Road on initial reports of a structure fire.
>> Previous Coverage: House damaged by early morning fire in Trotwood
At first, Trotwood firefighters thought that lightning may have caused the damage, but News Center 7 obtained video from inside the home that probably shows that conclusion will have to be changed.
A man, who wanted to remain anonymous due to fear of backlash, shared videos with News Center 7 that he claims were captured by the home’s surveillance cameras.
The video clearly shows two men using a gas can to pour fuel on the floor of a bedroom. Another video shows what it looked like and sounded like when they added an ignition source.
“Clearly see them dumping gasoline, hear them yelling when they light it,” the man said.
>> Argument over dog leads to deadly Dayton shooting, court records state
The man’s son was the tenant in the home and was not home when it burned on August 7.
When he went there to talk with fire investigators, he said they were insistent it was a lightning strike.
“We pointed out to them there was a gas can in the bedroom where the fire started,” the man said.
News Center 7 reached out to Trotwood fire officials Monday and they sent us a report that said the cause of the fire is unknown.
An official also said they’ve referred an arson investigation to the Trotwood Police Department.
We reached out to request any paperwork they have on that case.
The man said his 22-year-old son wasn’t home because two days before the fire, his son was involved in a crash in Vandalia that inflicted a severed aorta, broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and compound leg fractures.
The day before the fire, they also found video evidence of a break-in at the home.
“There was blood all over the inside of the house,” he said.
The family believes the fire was set to cover up the break-in.
They worry about backlash since no one has been identified or arrested so far, and the 22-year-old that was medically sedated for two days of surgeries, then woke up to hear his home had been broken into, then burned the next day, could use some good news.
“It was very traumatic, we had to tell him everything that was going on,” he said.
News Center 7 is working to learn more and we will continue updating this story.
0 of 10
©2023 Cox Media Group
