According to Washington Twp. Fire Deputy Chief Troy Bonfield, fire crews were dispatched on a report of a possible structure fire with possible explosions, and could see a column of smoke rising from the home before they arrived.
When they arrived, crews found heavy fire coming from the home’s garage, as well as flames coming from the second floor.
The chief said there were initial reports of a person trapped inside the house, but later confirmed there was nobody inside. Fire officials were still working to contact the homeowner a few hours after the fire was reported.
Bonfield said that it was a fast-moving fire, possibly fed by gasoline and propane tanks inside the garage and driven by wind.
Fighting the fire was complicated by the cold, the chief said. He said the cold freezing water being sprayed on the fire causes slippery conditions, and firefighters need to be switched out so that they can warm up.
Crews put down salt to deal with the ice and more crews than normal responded to allow for firefighters to be rotated out more often, the chief said, estimating that there were 25-35 firefighters on scene.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though Bonfield said that they hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary so far. He said that although it is unclear if the house was a total loss, but there was a lot of smoke and water damage inside the home.
Washington Twp. fire crews were joined on scene by crews from Clearcreek Twp., Moraine, and West Carrollton.
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