The Ohio State Fire Marshal says a blaze which killed three men in Lebanon last week was intentionally set.
The fire on Monday, October 19 killed three men who were living in the home rent-free. Their identities have not been released pending DNA analysis, which could take several weeks.
Crews were called to the home at the corner of Miller and Walnut Streets in Warren County by a passerby who spotted the flames. The fire was so intense by the time crews got there that they couldn't go inside to search for victims. Later, when the fire was under control, crews found the bodies of two men near the home's front door and a third man in another part of the house.
Today the Fire Marshal issued a statement which says, "After extensive interviews and laboratory tests, investigators have ruled out all accidental causes and have evidence that the fire was intentionally set. Because the fire has been determined to be a criminal act, specific details about the evidence will not be released at this time."
State Fire Marshal investigators are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification of the person or persons responsible for the fire. Anyone with information is asked to call the State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigation Bureau at 1-800-589-2728.
The release also notes that the home had no working smoke detectors.
A friend of the men, Ron Collins, tells Local 12 the victims were all living rent-free in the home, which has a history of code violations, including no plumbing and faulty electrical wiring. In exchange for living in the home, the men did work for owner Jerry Crisp for low wages. Crisp is was the Lebanon fire chief from the late 70's through the early 80's.
City records indicate a history of building code violations going back to 2006, included broken windows, missing wood in the walls and door, chipped paint, rotted gutters. Some apparently were fixed, although the most recent reinspection report shows non-compliance with a lack of water finding. The city threatened to take Crisp to court, but never did.
