An apartment that was severely damaged by a fire over the weekend, seen Monday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

The cause of a Saturday afternoon apartment fire and explosion in Belpre remains under investigation.

Belpre Fire Capt. Bill Matheny said city officials are still waiting for information from the Columbus fire investigation team.

“At this time, there’s no comment,” Matheny said. “The fire investigation team out of Columbus is still working on that.”

Firefighters responded around 3:40 p.m. Saturday to Fifth Street and Stone Road, where officials said an explosion and fire occurred at an apartment building. No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported.

Mayor Susan Abdella said firefighters returned Sunday morning after hot spots from the fire rekindled. The fire department extinguished the remnants, she said.

The Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley responded to the scene, and Executive Director Sharon Kesselring said a disaster action team was available if needed.

The city issued a release Sunday thanking the Belpre, Little Hocking, Dunham and Warren volunteer fire departments, along with Belpre EMS, the Belpre Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The Belpre Police Department made a post on Facebook requesting that the public avoid 5th Street and the location of the fire.

“The occupants are attempting to retrieve property and we ask that the public respect their privacy during this difficult time.” The post said. “5th street is a one way dead end street and the last thing the residents of the street need is a bunch of non residents traveling the neighborhood.”