NEWARK, Ohio — No injuries were reported after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Downtown Newark Saturday morning, according to the fire department.
Crews were called to the Avalon Apartments building, located at 86 West Main St., around 10:40 a.m. for a two-alarm fire. The three-story building was on fire for more than two hours before crews were able to put it out.
It’s unclear at this time how many people are displaced, but the building consists of 16 units. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, however, Assistant Fire Chief Neal Murphy said the fire started in the attic.
“The fire in a building like this has been renovated at last two times that I am aware of. It’s been around since the 1800s. When you do a lot of renovations, it creates a lot hidden spaces,” said Murphy.
Murphy said he's unsure when or if residents will be able to move back in.
“Our biggest concern at this point is the possibility of building collapse due to the advanced fire conditions we had and the instability of the building itself,” he said.
📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.