Arson Suspected
From staff reportsArticle Photos
RAYLAND - A Sunday morning fire that destroyed two buildings may have been arson, according to a Rayland fire official, as the investigation continues today.
The fire was first reported at 3:44 a.m. Sunday after starting on the second floor of a vacant house on Main Street, according to Rayland Fire Department Lt. Mary Doughty. She said she believes the fire is suspicious because the house has been vacant for the past five or six years, but she is waiting for an official decision from an Ohio Fire Marshal's investigator who was on the scene Sunday.
The initial fire spread to an occupied duplex next door. Both buildings were destroyed, Doughty said. The families in the duplex lost everything but escaped uninjured, according to the lieutenant. She did not have the names of the residents living in the duplex.
One firefighter, Tammy Morelli of the Tiltonsville Fire Department, was treated at the East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry for back and shoulder injuries, but she has since been released. Doughty noted the American Red Cross Jefferson County Chapter was at the scene to assist the two families displaced by the fire. The Rayland and Tiltonsville fire departments will be holding a "boot collection" within the next week to collect donations for the families, Doughty said.
The Rayland Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Martins Ferry, Dillonvale, Tiltonsville, Brilliant and Mount Pleasant as well as the tanker force from Belmont County.
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FireSaftey4All
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09-08-08 7:46 PM
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Let us not forget the victims of this horrible There were several people living in the duplex, that has lost all possessions. In the one duplex is a young family just starting out, with a young girl of about 4 years of age. Please .........everyone go through your things and donate whatever you can spare for those who lost it all! Remember, it was not their fault there was no water pressure, or the pump on the engine was broke at the time! Again, please make a donation and drop off any and all articles to the Salvation Army, or the Red Cross. These 2 services were extremely helpful, and are very apprecaited!
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FireSaftey4All
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09-08-08 7:39 PM
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Now granted, all departments are in need of members, but there are at least 6 people that have tried to get on, and were refused due to certain members actions to block them. How would this department who is controlled by young kids that do not even have the training that I mandated for my Jr. Firemen. How do they expect to run a department and put others lives in their hands when they are in control of a scene and send somone into a house when they dont even know the signs to look for in a collapse? People....This needs to stop here, before we have a tragedy on our hands between the water pressure and the dept.Could you imagine if we had another fire and God forbid the family couldnt get out! Until something happens, everyone please pray with me that there are no other fires, at least until we can get this situation under control!
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FireSaftey4All
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09-08-08 7:32 PM
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:: check into the credentials of the firefighters on that department. There are several infractions and we want the public to take notice and help turn this great community of ours into one that we can be proud of! This latest Fire involved two structures, in which the second structure was occupied. There is about a 50 foot span between the two houses, the first fire was an abanded house that was almost fully involved by the time the fire dept. arrived. This house was clearly in a state of "Surround and Drown" due to collapse at any minute. Why then...when the first arriving company arrived, they did not put a line on the closest exposure to protect it?! Because of this, we now lost a house after it caught on fire about 30 minutes after the first in company arrived! Do to this, we now have 2 families in need of supplies, which all could have been avoided in the first place! This is why we need someone to investigate this matter and protect the citizens from this happening ag
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FireSaftey4All
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09-08-08 7:30 PM
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The entire village is outraged about this fire! This is a very terrible thing to have happened here. The village of Rayland has known there are severe water pressure problems throught town for at least the past 5 years.During this time, there have been numerous fires in town, all which were a complete loss due to water pressure and as in the case of this latest fire, lack of training, apparatus in service that should have been placed out of order almost a year and a half ago! We the citizens of Rayland are calling for an investigation into these matters, along with having the State Fire Marshall's Office and Jefferson County EMA to check into the ..........
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