“I don’t know why they did this. First the garage. Now it’s the house,” said Van Lear Street resident Mollie Fields.
The house that caught fire in the 100 block of South Van Lear Street is likely a total loss, Deputy Chief Scot Rowlett said.
Firefighters have handles multlple trash and garage fires in this area in the past few weeks. They want the arson to stop, before someone gets hurt.
“The arsonist who has done this has told someone. Somebody knows something about this,” Rowlett said “You need to tell someone before another family is affected.”
FIRST REPORT, July 15
Flames engulfed a Van Lear Street home tonight that a fire official previously said was being targeted by an arsonist.
Dayton firefighters were called just after 11:15 p.m. to the 100 block of South Van Lear Street.
Crews were dispatched three previous times to the same address:
- June 21: Crews found an arrow had been shot into the front porch and into the garage of the house at 138 S. Van Lear St.
- June 25: Fire crews were dispatched to three fires on South Van Lear Street, including one fire that involved the garage at 138 S. Van Lear St.. Just after 1 a.m., crews were sent to a trash fire in the alley just off the 200 block of South Van Lear. An hour later they were called to a detached garage that was on fire, just a few feet from where the trash fire had been. The last incident on June 25 was dispatched just after 11 p.m. and involved a detached garage or shed structure at 138 S. Van Lear that is being investigated as suspicious.
- June 30: Debris was set on fire outside the garage at 128 S. Van Lear St. and two arrows were fired into the structure, leading to a Dayton fire lieutenant to conclude the address is being singled out.