Three Ohio Firefighters Injured in Four-Alarmer

Aug. 1, 2006
Eight departments responded to the blaze, but crews still ran into obstacles

Investigators are trying to determine if a four-alarm warehouse fire was the result of arson.

The fire started at a vacant building on Hamilton-Eaton Road that once housed a tool rental company.

"Within less than five to six minutes, the whole roof was gone, collapsed," Chief Terry White said.

Fire fighters said it was a fast-moving fire -- one of the worst they've seen in a long time. Eight departments responded to the blaze, but crews still ran into obstacles.

"We had problems with the water -- no hydrants in this area. We had to run a hose 3,000 feet, plus four tankers all night were shuttling water in their trucks," White said.

Denny Caldwell, from New Miami, suffered burns to his face in a flashover.

"We started fighting the fire, and it starting sucking back in, and the next thing we knew it blew us out," he said.

Two firefighters from Wayne Township also were taken to Fort Hamilton Hospital after they inhaled fumes from an exploding battery.

"This place was chaos," neighbor John Dawson said. "Flames were as high as trees, and we thought we were going to have to evacuate the trailer park."

Witnesses reported seeing several teens -- possibly carrying gas cans -- running from the business shortly after the fire started.

A St. Clair Township fire official told News 5 that they are also investigating other arson cases in the area in recent weeks.

Copyright 2006 by ChannelCincinnati.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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