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Xenia rope factory fire ruled suspicious

Contributed by Leon Harrison/A fire at the old Hooven & Allison site in Xenia demolished a warehouse and sent thick black smoke into the air that was visible for miles Monday, Aug. 24.

Photo contributed by Leon Harrison Contributed by Leon Harrison/A fire at the old Hooven & Allison site in Xenia demolished a warehouse and sent thick black smoke into the air that was visible for miles Monday, Aug. 24.

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Christopher Magan/Staff Photographer Smoke can be seen pouring from the Hooven & Allison Company building on Monday, August 24, 2009.

By Christopher Magan, Staff Writer Updated 9:16 AM Tuesday, August 25, 2009

XENIA — Xenia fire officials say the fire that destroyed a warehouse at an old rope factory Monday, Aug. 24, has been ruled suspicious.

Xenia Fire Chief Jeff Leaming said investigators think the fire at the old Hooven and Allison site was either set deliberately or unintentionally got out of control, but there will be no arson investigation because the building was going to be demolished anyway.

There will also be no dollar loss set.

However, fire officials will work with police to try to determine what happened.

Leaming said fire crews were at the scene on Cincinnati Avenue off and on all night as the fire continued to smolder.

Thick black smoke from the fire was visible for miles Monday afternoon when the fire started at about 2 p.m. The 50 by 2,000 foot warehouse was fully involved in flames when fire crews arrived. The roof of the structure collapsed. Neighbors reported hearing explosions.

By 3:30 p.m., fire officials reported the fire had been contained

The Hooven & Allison Company building formerly housed a rope factory that opened in 1869. It has been empty since the factory shut down in 2004. The firm went bankrupt and the site was sold at a tax sale in 2005 to National Land Developers, LLC, of New Carlisle.

Another building at the site caught fire in October 2005. Four Xenia High School teenagers were charged with delinquency by reason of arson and breaking and entering in connection with that fire. Officials said that fire was believed to be a recreational fire that got out of control.

The damage from that fire was estimated at $300,000.

This summer, Xenia held a hearing to get ideas from citizens about how to develop the 21-acre site.

Initial studies of the site found possible asbestos issues, as well as 14 underground storage tanks containing unknown material. Officials believe the tanks contain oil or another lubricant.

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