The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

3 killed in fire at home owned by former fire chief

Cracker Barrel manager accused of embezzling $2K
7:13 p.m.
Frozen yogurt shop offers frenzy of flavors, toppings
5:58 p.m.
Wright-Patterson relatively unscathed in Obama defense budget
4:55 p.m.
Dayton Mall shoe store moving
4:32 p.m.
Is your “unlimited” data being throttled?
2:32 p.m.
> More headlines

Staff photo by Apryl Pilolli Firefighters survey the damage after a fire destroyed a Lebanon home Monday, Oct. 19.

By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer Updated 6:51 AM Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The identities of three people killed in a fire early Monday, Oct. 19, at a century-old Lebanon home owned by the city’s former fire chief may not be known for several days, fire officials said.

Flames destroyed the two-story, multi family home at 213-215 Walnut St. about 2:30 a.m., Lebanon Fire Chief Michael Hannigan said. No cause has been determined. The state fire marshal is investigating.

Fire officials believe three adult males lived in the structure, built in 1900, Hannigan said. Three victims were taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office .

Doyle Burke, chief investigator of Warren County Coroner’s Office, said identification may take weeks because the victims were burned beyond recognition.

Rodger Brown, owner of Brown Plumbing, who was driving by the house later in the day said he knew two of the men who lived in the house. Brown described one of the men as having mental disabilities and said he believed both men had been homeless and had nowhere else to go.

A preliminary report from the state fire marshal said the building had been condemned and scheduled for demolition, but city manager Pat Clements denied this was the case. The building is owned by Jerry Crisp of Franklin, who could not be reached for comment. Crisp was the fire chief for Lebanon between 1975 and 1982.

The rental units had a history of city code violations dating back to 2006, according to documents from the city of Lebanon department of code enforcement. Among the most egregious were a lack of working smoke alarms and no running water, both listed in a report dated July 7, 2007. Another inspection from Dec. 22, 2008 again cited the lack of running water. The December 2008 report also made mention of a wooden stove that had not been inspected.

The building was last inspected in June where it was noted that some of the “plumbing deficiencies” had been addressed but others still remained. City code inspector Bruce Bowerman noted at the time he had made contact with Crisp about reinspection in the following weeks but had not since been able to gain access. Bowerman also noted he was “unable to determine if anyone lived in the building” in the efforts to reinspect since June.

Clements said inspectors can only access a building if they are allowed to do so by the tenet or owner. He said inspectors had been granted access a few times by tenets. Clements did not know which tenants had granted access and if they were the same who perished in the fire.

The wood house, which firemen said was engulfed in flames when they arrived, appears to be destroyed.

“The state fire marshal will be on the scene most of the day to try and determine the cause. We don’t expect a quick determination,” Hannigan said.

Hannigan said that two bodies were found in the front of the house on the first story, while a third body was found towards the rear. Hannigan was unsure if the third body was on the first or second floor.

Adam Yetter, who lived across the street from the house said his bedroom was coated in bright orange light, which overpowered the heavy blinds he keeps on his windows.

“Flames were shooting all over,” Yetter said. “They engulfed the whole house.”

Yetter said he didn’t know the people who lived in the house, but believed they were a “couple of older fellows” who he believed worked in landscaping. He said the roof had been covered with a blue tarp since last fall’s windstorm.

This is the second house fire in a week to occur in Lebanon. A woman and a baby were sleeping on a first floor couch in their Main Street home last Monday, Oct. 12 when a fire started in the basement.

The fire was mostly contained in the basement, where it had appeared to start, but some damage was done to the first floor as well. A 42-year-old woman who lived in the house was taken to Bethesda Medical Center at Arrow Springs, where she was treated for smoke inhalation and released.

Oughterson said the infant was unharmed. Oughterson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but foul play is not suspected. The damage to the home was estimated at $35,000.

Share this article