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

Fire destroys billiards supply business; cause undetermined

Dayton firefighters battle a morning fire at 350 Huffman Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 21. The building which housed Freedom Billiards is a total loss according to fire officials. The remaining structure was slated to be quickly razed.

Staff Photo by Chris Stewart Dayton firefighters battle a morning fire at 350 Huffman Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 21. The building which housed Freedom Billiards is a total loss according to fire officials. The remaining structure was slated to be quickly razed.

Fire crews were dispatched on Sunday morning to a report of a burning building in a commercial area just north of U.S. 35.

Staff Photo by Chris Stewart Fire crews were dispatched on Sunday morning to a report of a burning building in a commercial area just north of U.S. 35.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Photos: Fire at Freedom Billiards

Water rescues prompt warning from health officials
5/25/12
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
5/25/12
Raleigh Trammell’s defense opens in felony trial
5/25/12
Man not wearing life jacket when he drowns in Caesar Creek Lake
5/25/12
UD to move satellite campus to Dublin
5/25/12
> More headlines

By John Nolan, Staff Writer Updated 11:48 AM Monday, November 22, 2010

DAYTON — The cause of the fire that destroyed Freedom Billiards, 350 Huffman Ave., is still not determined, according to Dayton’s Assistant Fire Chief Paul Sheehan.

The fire is still considered suspicious, Sheehan said Monday.

A fire destroyed the billiards supply building Sunday morning in a commercial-residential area just north of U.S. 35, leaving unsupported walls that city firefighters arranged to have quickly demolished to eliminate the safety hazard.

Bill Erby, owner of the business, walked the fire scene Monday morning. He declined to comment, other than stating that he was having a bad day.

No injuries were reported in the blaze that gutted Freedom Billiards at 350 Huffman Ave. But it could be days before the wreckage cools enough so that investigators can safely examine it to determine whether anyone had been inside, said Vincent Wiley, a Dayton Fire Department district chief.

The fire was reported to Montgomery County’s regional dispatch center at 8:07 a.m. Wiley said, however, that he considered it suspicious because firefighters found an unsecured door. Investigators will determine whether the blaze was intentionally started.

Wiley estimated the property loss at $250,000. The structure, which included one- and two-story sections at the intersection of Huffman and St. Jude avenues, was gutted, with only exterior walls standing. Firefighters called for a bulldozer crew to demolish those walls Sunday, Wiley said.

Firefighters were able to halt the flames’ advance in a structure which connected the gutted building to the next-door R.L. Fender Construction Co. at 362 Huffman Ave., saving the construction company’s building, Wiley said.

Winds blew the gray smoke and bits of ash toward the homes of families across Huffman Avenue and for blocks beyond.

Erby’s brother Scott Erby said Sunday that it was unlikely that anyone was inside because the company was normally closed on Sundays. The company sold billiards supplies, offered a place to play billiards and also included a landscaping business in the rear of the building, Scott Erby said. The business had been at the Huffman location for over a year, according to Bill Erby.

Staff Writer Kelli Wynn contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Share this article