Fire destroys Belpre business, home
BELPRE – A fire destroyed a building and a house on Washington Boulevard in a blaze battled most of Thursday evening.
Metz and Sons General Contracting at 1515 Washington Blvd. was destroyed along with an adjacent house, said Tony Cronin, chief of the Belpre Volunteer Fire Department
Cronin said the fire was reported at 5:48 p.m. Thursday.
Thick black smoke billowed into the air and could be seen several miles away, including from the annual Pumpkin Drop at the Belpre Elementary School.
The fire drew spectators at Civitan Park where some traffic was detoured.
Mutual aid was requested from the Little Hocking and Dunham volunteer fire departments in Ohio and Blennerhassett in West Virginia, Cronin said. Thirty firefighters responded to the scene, he said.
Cronin said there were no injuries. One person was home at the time, but was able to get out without injury, he said.
No cause of the fire had been determined at presstime, however, Cronin said the Ohio state fire marshal was expected to be in Belpre this morning.
Washington Boulevard was closed between the Belpre Senior Citizens Center and McDonald’s.
Officials hoped the street would be reopened before midnight.