ASSISTANT FIRE
CHIEF: TWO NEWARK, OHIO FIRES APPEAR TO BE ARSON
NEWARK, Ohio -- Firefighters from Newark and neighboring
departments battled two house fires a block apart just south of downtown early
Sunday morning.
Both fires appeared to be arson, said interim Newark
Fire Chief Patrick Connor, who said investigators have not determined whether
the two fires are related.
The first call came at about 6:30 a.m., and about 25
minutes later, the second house fire was reported, Connor said.
The houses on S. 4th and S. 5th streets both appeared to
be vacant, he said. A neighbor of the house on S. 5th street said that the
owner had been working recently to fix up the house.
Most houses in the area were built in the mid to late
1800s. It's a low-income, distressed neighborhood where many of the houses are
rentals.
Connor said that both fires appeared to have started in
the backs of the houses, and firefighters will continue to investigate.
There were no injuries in either fire.