Fire at Harrison Twp. group home is under investigation, battalion chief says

UPDATE @ 10:35 p.m.: The cause of the fire at a Harrison Twp. group home is under investigation, but it appears to have been some sort of electrical fire in the basement, township Battalion Chief Mike Crist said.

There was no one home at 3709 W. Siebenthaler Ave. at the time, he said, and it's too soon to estimate the dollar loss in damage to the structure and contents.

UPDATE @ 10:16 p.m.:

A neighborhood resident knew just what to do when he saw smoke coming from a house in the 3700 block of West Siebenthaler Avenue.

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Markus Perry said he kicked in the front door, performed a quick search and called out to see if anyone was in the smoky house. He saw lights on upstairs, so he went up and kicked open a couple of doors.

The place was empty. He didn’t know it, but Harrison Twp. and Trotwood fire crews had been dispatched to the address on a report that someone possibly was trapped in the house.

"Nobody in there. Thank God," said Perry, a former Trotwood firefighter.

Perry said he noticed there were a lot of beds upstairs, noting that it looked like kids had been living there.

Our camera operator on scene said some people who gathered at the scene said the place is a group home.

He was headed home from visiting friends when he noticed smoke traveling across the road.

"The whole lower floor was engulfed in smoke," he said.

Siebenthaler Avenue remains closed in both directions until further notice.

INITIAL REPORT

Crews are on the scene of a reported structure fire with possible entrapment in the 3700 block of West Siebenthaler Avenue in Harrison Twp.

The incident was reported about 9:20 p.m.

Siebenthaler Avenue is closed in both directions until further notice.

We have a crew on the scene. We will update this developing report. Stay with whio.com.

If you have a news tip, call our 24-hour line at 937-259-2237 or send it to newsdesk@cmgohio.com

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