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2 indicted in New Carlisle after burning barn

Two men in their 60s have been indicted on a felony charge accusing them of setting a fire without permission.

The state fire marshal’s office said the March 20 fire on Marquart Road started out as a permitted, controlled burn but it raged out of control and destroyed a barn on a neighbor's land.

Now, 66-year-old Larry Hansford and 63-year-old Michael Bonham were indicted Monday by a Clark County grand jury on a felony charge of arson.

“The controlled burn actually ignited a barn on this third person’s property,” fire marshal’s office spokesman Shane Cartmill told News Center 7. “When you burn the property of another without permission, it is a felony of the fourth degree.”

According to the investigation, the men called dispatch and said they were doing a large controlled burn and wanted to give dispatch a head's up in case people called in reporting a fire. Several volunteer firefighters called into the New Carlisle fire station after reportedly seeing heavy black smoke and a barn on fire. Crews responded, calling mutual aid from German Twp. and Christiansburg to help put out the blaze, according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System report.

There was another property between the two men's property – that property was where the barn stood.

They told officials that they had permission to burn the barn. The owner of the property said they did not have permission to burn it.

Hansford and Bonham’s intention isn’t the issue, Cartmill said. When firefighters are called and an insurance claim is made, the fire marshal's office has to investigate.

“Unfortunately, when the fire did get out of hand it did require the assistance of the local fire department,” Cartmill said.

Neither man has a criminal record in Clark County. Bonham could not be reached for comment. Hansford would say only that  “the case is in the courts.”

Arraignment has not been set.

_{Wed, 16 May 2012 19:01:13 -0400}

Two arrested for vacant house arson

Two men were arrested this week in connection with an arson fire that damaged a vacant house in the city in November.

The home’s owner, Dennis Egnor, 57, was arrested at his Dayton home on Wednesday and booked into the Montgomery County Jail at 4:28 p.m. He faces a possible charge of aggravated arson, a second degree felony.

Brian Abney, 40, of Huber Heights, was arrested Tuesday and also booked into the jail on a possible aggravated arson charge.

Abney has prior convictions in Montgomery County for burglary and grand theft auto.

Fire investigators say they believe Abney set the fire at 42 Centre Street at Egnor’s request.

“We think it’s a fraud type situation,” said Dayton Fire Chief Herbert Redden. He said an unidentified individual came forward with information about the fire. “The cooperation of the neighborhood helps greatly in some cases,” he said.

Firefighters spent $1300 to put out the fire on the evening of Nov. 27. The damage to the structure was estimated at $10,000.

_{Wed, 16 May 2012 18:09:56 -0400}

Crews battling Montgomery County house fire

Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions are battling a wind-fueled fire at a home on Sweet Potato Ridge Road, northwest of Brookville.

A ladder truck was brought in from Englewood just after 5 p.m. to help Verona firefighters and others who have been fighting the blaze for over an hour.

No injuries have been reported and it is unknown how many people were in the home when the fire began.

Crews had to truck water in to the rural location and were punching holes in the roof to vent the fire.

Stay with News Center 7 and whiotv.com for more on this developing story.

_{Wed, 16 May 2012 17:26:45 -0400}

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