Overnight fire deemed suspicious
A fire that destroyed one house and heavily damaged another Saturday morning on East Brady Street was deemed “suspicious” by the fire marshal.
The vacant house at 332 E. Brady St. was ablaze around 2 a.m. Saturday, and spread to the adjacent vacant house at 328-330 E. Brady St.
“The fire is definitely suspicious in origin,” said Butler Township Fire Marshal Larry Christy. “Whether someone was in there cooking, or whether they were doing something elicit, there's no way to prove.”
Christy said the fire was determined to be suspicious because there were no active utilities or appliances in the house that could have started the fire. There also were no reported lightning strikes in the area.
There are no suspects. Christy said the next step is to talk to people in the neighborhood to see if they saw anyone in or near the house around the time of the fire.
The fire started in an extension of the house at 332 E. Brady St.
“The fire was fully involved, and blew out the window at the top and spread to the second and third floor,” said Butler City Fire Department Capt. Jim Kaufman.
The fire spread to the second floor and the attic of the house on 328-330 E. Brady St. It also prevented firefighters from being able to reach the top floor, so a ladder truck was used.
The fire was knocked down in an hour using compressed-air foam, followed by several hours of cleanup.
The house on the other side of 332 E. Brady St. sustained heat damage to its siding. Kaufman said that house also is vacant.
There were no serious injuries. A firefighter was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital by Butler Ambulance Service for dehydration.
The house at 332 E. Brady St. was condemned, and Kaufman said the city will likely demolish it in the next few days.
House owners were notified. Christy said the house at 328-330 E. Brady St. may be deemed an unsafe structure.
The Butler City Fire Department, the Butler Police Department and Butler Ambulance Service responded to the call. Volunteer fire departments from Meridian, Unionville and Butler Township also were on scene.
