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Fire in century-old house kills 3 in Ohio

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The Associated Press Updated 6:31 PM Monday, October 19, 2009

LEBANON, Ohio — A century-old house where three people died in a fire early Monday had a history of building code violations, authorities said.

The blaze had made substantial headway by the timefirefighters got the first calls around 2:30 a.m., Lebanon Fire Chief Michael Hannigan said.

No details about the victims were released. Autopsy results were pending.

Two bodies were found in a front room, and the third body in another part of home, Hannigan said.

Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the state fire marshal's office, said the city had notified the property owner of some interior and exterior code violations. Cartmill did not know what the violations were.

"Those violations are something we are going to look at as part of the larger investigation," Cartmill said.

Authorities later corrected their initial report from the scene that the house had been condemned for demolition.

Lebanon is about 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

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October 19, 2009 10:29 PM EDT

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Jerry Crisp also owned the historic Red Lion inn that mysteriously burned down and reportedly cashed in on the insurance.

If rental agreements are legal documents, it seems that an inspection should be mandatory before a rental agreement is signed. Let the landlord pay for these inspections....

Lillian Nagy
8:16 PM, 10/25/2009

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One more thing,if im not mistaken Jerry Crisp is the brother Brach Crisp former Lebanon slum lord who owned a bunch of runned down apartments on Cherry st. in Lebanon.He may have inherited some of those properties from his brothers estate,but not sure.I would watch this story any of you reporters looking for a scoop,I smell a cover-up.That building was reported to have had no running water,and in most cities and towns that in itself would make it un-inhabitable.

Steve Wilson
12:22 AM, 10/20/2009

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The past citations according to Western star in Lebanon were"No-Smoke alarms"and"faulty wiring".That building had a a tarp on the roof for more than a year and the victims were seen the day before working on the chimney.Also there was no running water in that house which alone means it was "inhabitable" by city ordinance,so that means it was atleast condemned.Bottom line is that former fire chief had no business letting those people stay in there,which he claims were good friends.Some friend.

Steve Wilson
12:14 AM, 10/20/2009

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