Conneaut house burns twice in 24 hours

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

April 14, 2008 10:56 pm

— CONNEAUT — The state fire marshal’s office is assisting Conneaut investigators examining two fires that scorched a Craytor Avenue house within a 24-hour span over the weekend.
Firefighters were sent to 90 Craytor Ave., shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday, then returned early Sunday morning, according to fire reports. The second blaze caused heavy damage to the small house, firefighters said.
Cause of the fires are undetermined and under investigation, said Fire Lt. Wallace Heinonen, the department’s investigator. Damage was estimated at $70,000, he said.
Firefighters from all three station were initially dispatched to the small house to check out a smoke complaint. Upon arrival, firefighters found light smoke curling around the eaves and vent of the building.
A check revealed a fire in a hard-to-reach crawl space underneath the floor in a utility room floor, Heinonen said. Firefighters spent nearly four hours trying to pin down and then douse the fire, he said.
The owner, identified in fire reports as John Monday of Lake Road, boarded up the building after Saturday’s blaze, Heinonen said.
The second fire was reported around 6 a.m. Upon firefighters’ arrival, flames were blasting through the house, Heinonen said.
“(Fire) was blowing 20 to 30 feet through the roof,” he said.
Three hours were spent Sunday bringing the blaze under control, Heinonen said. Renters had recently lived in the house, he said.