Harrison Twp. fire investigators are working to determine what caused a former Harrison Twp. strip club to catch fire Friday morning.
Crews were called out to the building that once house The Harem, in the 5800 block of North Dixie Drive, around 6 a.m. Friday.
“First arriving crews found heavy fire and smoke throughout a good portion of the building,” said Harrison Twp. Fire Chief Mark Lynch. “Immediately, we began a defensive attack. It appeared that it was unsafe to go in.”
The building has been abandoned for a couple of years, he added, and didn’t have any power.
Investigators will work to figure out the cause and area of origin. The fire will most likely be determined as suspicious, Lynch said.
No one was found at the scene when fire crews arrived.
In 2017, a state investigation centered around The Harem resulted 84 charges being filed against 11 people. Charges included felony drug trafficking and food stamp fraud. The investigation led to the Ohio Liquor Control Commission revoking the club’s liquor permit and a civil challenge by Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. to shut the business down.