Newark Fire Dept. seeks info on State Street arson fire

NEWARK − Newark Fire Department investigators have determined two January fires at homes owned by the same person were arson. And a third January fire with the same owner was ruled electrical.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect in a Jan. 20 arson fire on Elmwood Avenue, but the investigation continues into a Tuesday arson fire at 46 State St., according to Newark Fire Department Deputy Chief Doug Vermaaten.

“They were two different criminal acts by two different people,” Vermaaten said. The Elmwood fire has been classified as an aggressive arson because the home was occupied, he said. The State Street house was vacant. An accelerant was used at both locations, Vermaaten said.

The emergency call for the State Street fire came in at 12:29 a.m. Tuesday. The vacant, two-story home was being renovated. State Street is located south of West Main, between Ohio 79 and North 21st Street. Vermaaten said there are no known reports of neighbors seeing squatters entering the house.

There was nobody inside the structure and there were no injuries. Firefighters fought the fire from the outside, not risking injury to enter the vacant home, which was a total loss, estimated at $100,000. Following the fire, part of the house was knocked down because it was too dangerous for fire investigators to enter the burned-out structure.

Vermaaten asks anyone with information on the State Street fire to call the Newark Police Department at 740-6707200 or the Newark Fire Department at 740-670-7650.

The third fire, Jan. 13 at a duplex at 307-309 Mount Vernon Road, was ruled electrical.

Vermaaten said all three homes are owned by Anthony Sax, who owns 71 properties listed on the county’s property search web site under the names of Sax 1 LLC, Sax 2 LLC, Sax 3 LLC and Sax 4 LLC.

Sax declined to comment for the story. kmallett@newarkadvocate.com 740-973-4539

Twitter: @kmallett1958