By Danielle Wilson
The Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
HANOVER TWP., Ohio — Ammunition shooting off in a front room kept firefighters from quickly extinguishing a house fire Tuesday night, Jan. 27.
Hanover Twp. fire Chief Phillip Clark said about 5,000 rounds of ammunition were in the home of an apparent gun collector at 4120 Nichols Road, which delayed firefighters entering the home to fight the fire on the inside.
“I wasn’t putting any of my firefighters’ lives in danger,” he said.
Clark said about $15,000 worth of guns were in the single-story house when the blaze started.
Clark said the fire began in plastic heating ducts in the basement of the home. Fire shot through ducts in the walls of the house into the room where the ammunition was kept, the chief said.
The family was home at the time of the fire, but no injuries were reported in the fire that was reported at 5:55 p.m. and lasted almost two hours.
The house sustained about $100,000 in damages and Clark said the family was staying with relatives.
Fire units from Riley and Milford townships brought additional tanker trucks filled with water and firefighters to fight the blaze because there were no hydrants in the area, Clark said.
Copyright 2009 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.