Assistant chief: Children admit starting fire

Official says house had been abandoned

The Lorain Fire Department was called to a fire at an abandoned house on the 200 block of West 33rd Street at 3:20 p.m. July 26.

According to Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Fenn, the house had been abandoned for some time. Neighbors reported a group of juveniles had been in and out of the house and a group of juveniles had run from the house about 20 minutes before the fire showed itself.

According to Fenn, when the department receives calls indicating that someone may be inside a burning building, the first priority is to make sure that the building is clear of occupants.

“Our primary instinct was to make sure the kids were out of there,” he said. “That takes precedence over even the fire. (We) just make sure to get up there, get all the floors searched and make sure there’s no one up there in the smoke.”

Investigators were able to locate the juveniles who admitted to setting the fire, according to Fenn.

“(The Fire Prevention Bureau)

basically tracked (the children) down, and they admitted to starting the fire,” he said.

Fenn didn’t know the ages of the children, but guessed that they were between 12 and 14 years old.

The house is listed as

being worth $26,000, according to Fenn and he estimates the damage to the house at $12,000.

No one was in the home when it caught fire, and no one was injured. According to Fenn the house had been vacant for some time and it does not have electricity.

“The electricity had been secured and we secured the gas,” he said.

KEITH REYNOLDS — THE MORNING JOURNAL The Lorain Fire Department was called to a fire at an abandoned house on the 200 block of West 33rd Street at 3:20 p.m. July 26.