THE TRIPLE-FATAL FIRE IN LEBANON, OHIO, last week (see Firegeezer report HERE) has been determined to have been an arson by the State Fire Marshal office. The building was a decrepit house that was condemned and had no utilities, but was occupied by three men who stayed there rent-free in exchange for providing labor for the owner, Jerry Crisp. WKRC-TV reports:
(The) Fire Marshal issued a statement which says, “After extensive interviews and laboratory tests, investigators have ruled out all accidental causes and have evidence that the fire was intentionally set. Because the fire has been determined to be a criminal act, specific details about the evidence will not be released at this time.”
When the FD arrived on the scene the building was fully involved and no attempt for a search was possible. After the fire was out, the FF’s found two bodies in the front room on the first floor and a third victim was located near the rear of the house. All of them were burned beyond recognition.
Cincinnati Enquirer
Crisp, the owner, admitted that the men were living there with his permission. However, there is a long list of repeated code violations dating back 3 years that were consistently ignored by both the owner and the enforcement agency. The fire marshal reports that the house had no working smoke detectors and city records show that there was no water or electricity service to the house.
Crisp is known to the community because he was the Lebanon FD fire chief from 1975 until 1985. It has also been reported that this is the third fire in properties that he owns in the past few years.
WLWT-TV Ch. 5 has this video update:
Also on FireGeezer…
- Another FF Arsonist Goes Down – August 28, 2010
- Updated: FF’s Targeted by Arsonist in Vegas – November 13, 2011
- Washougal Standoff Update #2 – December 13, 2011
- Explosion Obliterates Ten Homes – November 3, 2010
