Dayton, OH — A four-alarm fire broke out in buildings near downtown Dayton around 4:00 PM on Thursday, 14 August 2008. 75 Dayton City firefighters, assisted by Kettering, responded to the blaze at the defunct Harrison Radiator complex, a former General Motors parts plant, on 300 Taylor Street. The fire occurred in two structures, Building #10 and Building #13, which are located on the northeastern corner of the property, immediately adjacent to the rail road and to the bike path. A total of five aerial ladder trucks and upto 10,000 gallons of water per minute handled the situation, while firefighters from Trotwood, Riverside and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base stood by to respond to calls in other parts of the city.

There were no reported injuries.

Workers were in the buildings earlier using welding torches to remove metal window frames to prepare them for demolition, and fire officials originally thought the contractors had sparked the blaze. However, they told the fire department that all their workers were out of that portion of the building when the fire started, so now investigators are considering a possible arson.

The buildings that caught fire are 75 to 80 years old, have concrete walls and floors and wooden roofs, and are being demolished to make way for Tech Town, a new technology-oriented district that will span six blocks on the eastern edge of downtown Dayton.

As late as Monday, 18 August 2008, firefighters were still on the scene putting out hot spots that continued to smolder.

To see images of fire fighters expertly finishing the blaze, click here.