May, 19, 1998
Owners suspects in CR 38 house fire
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
No charges have been filed, but a rural Tiffin couple is suspected in a May 12 house fire.
According to court documents, James G. Hall and Phyllis M. Hall, 2531 W. CR 38, have been named as suspects in an Ohio State Fire Marshal's investigation. The fire occurred at their home.
Thomas Ratcliff, spokesperson for the Fire Marshal's Office, said although no charges have been filed, the fire remains under investigation by his office and local authorities.
A fire marshal's investigator was at the scene last Tuesday.
''As a result of my findings thus far, I would classify this fire as one of a suspicious nature and additional investigation is necessary for evidence gathering, examination and testing,'' Dennis L. Cupp, investigator, stated in the affidavit for a search warrant.
Court documents state Cupp was looking for any and all forms of ignitable liquids or materials used as a fuel or devices used in connection with the fire.
Court documents say many of the couple's personal belongings had been stored a few weeks prior at a friend's home in Tiffin.
Cupp said the items which had been stored were ''the type of personal belongings which are considered to be irreplacable to individuals and (are) the type of property persons will remove and protect prior to purposely setting a fire within their home.''
The items Cupp listed included personal photos, high school scrapbooks, stamp and coin collections, expensive dishes and insurance policies.
Cupp said there were suitable places to store the belongings at the CR 38 home.