Firefighter: Garage fire is suspicious

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A tip led police to the scene of a vacant garage fire in an alley behind Hudson Avenue Sunday afternoon. Firefighters said when they arrived, they found the building fully engulfed.

"We were sitting out on the porch and we heard something like a storm going on so we looked around and the garage was just going up in flames," said Rhonda Moss, who lives near the scene.

The flames quickly consumed the garage, and damaged three other garages, along with a nearby house. Investigators were called to the scene, but firefighters said the blaze looks suspicious.

"All of them are vacant, so we'll just have the investigator come out, do an investigation, and see what they can turn up," said Capt. James Rose, Dayton Fire Department.

If the fire is ruled an arson, it will add to the growing list facing fire investigators. The department has fought more than 100 arson fires this year, and fire officials have said that they believe the problem is wider spread than a serial arsonist.

"It's all over the table as far as the people we are pursuing," said Fire Chief Herbert Redden during an earlier interview. "They go from married couples to kids to vagrants to people doing it for profit."

If you see anyone suspicious in your neighborhood, call the Dayton Police Department immediately. If you have information about any of the recent arson fires, call Crime Stoppers at (937) 222-7867.