A couple who live downstairs also managed to escape unharmed. Ken Elliott, of the Newport Fire Department. The fire was probably small, but these things can spread really quickly. By the time fire crews arrived, the upstairs of the house was engulfed. Firefighters threw burnt furniture from the front window while a number of hot spots erupted throughout the home.
Investigators believe the fire started in the front room.
The apartment downstairs appeared to have little fire damage, but was flooded. Owner Roger Griffith said he had been in the process of refurbishing the house, which was built sometime during the 1920s. Investigators have not determined what started the fire. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.