Suspected arson fire destroys EL homes
Trending
EAST LIVERPOOL -- An early morning fire in the area of Prospect and Morton streets destroyed three homes and damaged several others, due in part to their close proximity.
City firefighters were called at 4:12 a.m. and found the home at 421 Prospect St. to be fully engulfed. The home, owned by Anthony Cook, collapsed shortly after firefighters responded, according to fire reports provided by the city fire department.
Fire Chief Bill Jones said firefighters believe this fire was set by someone, and all the other fires happened after this fire began. Jones said neighbors knew the home was vacant and saw someone inside with flashlights between 9 and 9:30 p.m. the night before, but did not call police.
A second home at 423 Prospect St. also caught fire due to exposure to the neighboring home at 421 Prospect St. The home was also fully involved and collapsed before it could be extinguished. Jones said a third home at 420 Morton St., which is located directly behind the homes on Prospect Street, was destroyed by the fire as well.
Jones said when the first five East Liverpool firefighters arrived, there were three homes on fire on two streets with a hillside between the homes. He praised those five men for doing a fantastic job keeping other homes around those homes from also igniting.
However, heat from those fires still damaged surrounding homes. Heat from 423 Prospect St. melted the siding and motion lights on the west side of the home at 424 Morton St., owned by Nathan Boyd. Jones said the resident at 424 Morton was the one who noticed the fires outside his home and called the fire department.
Additionally, the heat from 423 Prospect also damaged the home at 427 Prospect, damaging the eaves and breaking a first-floor window. That home is listed as occupied by Mike Stoffel and owned by Amanda Kiger.
Jones said both the occupied homes at 424 Morton and 427 Prospect have damage that can be repaired.
The unoccupied home at 422 Morton St. had minor damage to the eaves on the west side of the building, which was due to the heat from the fire at 420 Morton. Firefighters successfully kept the fire from spreading into the interior of the structure at 422 Morton, which is also owned by Anthony Cook.
There was also vinyl siding damage to the home at 420 Prospect, which Jones said is for sale at this time. That home is located across the street and down from 421 Prospect, but Jones said the intensity of the heat was still enough to melt the siding.
Liverpool Township firefighters were called in to assist at the scene, which is just west of St. Clair Avenue near the First Church of God. No injuries were reported, but a paramedic from Ambulance Service Inc. was on scene to provide assistance in case there were any problems.
Jones said there were about 14 East Liverpool firefighters who responded, and they were very grateful to the half a dozen from Liverpool Township who came in to assist them, as well as the ASI paramedic.
djohnson@mojonews.com