Monday, April 8th, 2013

Celina fire damages apartments, businesses

Two taken to hospital for smoke inhalation; C-Town Wings closes temporarily

By William Kincaid
Photo by Jason Snyder/The Daily Standard

Firefighters from Celina, Montezuma and Coldwater respond to a blaze that started in an upstairs apartment of a downtown building in Celina on Sunday night.

CELINA - A late night fire blazed through the top floor of a downtown building, resulting in a heavily damaged apartment and smoke and water damage to a couple Main Street businesses.
No one was seriously injured during the Sunday night fire at 107 S. Main St., but two occupants on the second floor were taken by emergency squad to Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater, for smoke inhalation, Celina Fire Department Lt. Bob Schulte said this morning.
One of the occupants called Mercer County Dispatch at 11:56 p.m. to report flames in one of the two apartments above C-Town Wings Restaurant. The fire started in the back apartment of the second floor, with smoke blowing out the back windows.
Celina firefighters, assisted with crews from Montezuma and Coldwater, had the blaze under control in about 45 minutes, Schulte said.
Each of the two neighboring fire departments brought two trucks while the Celina fire department deployed its pumper-tanker and aerial truck. In addition to blasting water on the flames, firefighters used saws to open sections of the building's roof to allow heat and smoke to escape.
"Nothing suspicious at this point," Schulte said at the scene early this morning, noting officials from the state fire marshall's office were scheduled to arrive today.
Schulte said the back apartment is completely gutted while the front apartment on the second floor has smoke damage.
Kerry and Julia Roberts, who own the building that also houses their C-Town Wings business, were cleaning out the inside of the restaurant that was strewn with water this morning.
"It's not as bad as we thought it was going to be," she said. "It's just a big mess."
The couple are waiting for their insurance company to arrive and assess the building before they take the next step.
"We're going to get open as soon as we can," she said.
All three apartment occupants displaced by the fire are safe and have a place to stay for now, she added.
Charlie's Pastry Shop next door also experienced some smoke damage but should be open on Tuesday, proprietor Eric Smith said. The shop is closed on Mondays.
Submitted Photo

Flames blast through windows at the back of a second floor apartment in the building at 107 S. Main St., Celina on Sunday night.

Photo by Jason Snyder/The Daily Standard

Firefighters clean up debris in a second floor apartment at 107 S. Main St. in Celina Sunday night.

Additional online story on this date
6-year-old struck when crossing street
ST. HENRY - A 6-year-old St. Henry girl remained in critical condition this morning at a Dayton hospital after being struck by a pickup truck Saturday afternoon. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
A 22-year-old Union City man implicated in the murder case of Robert and Colleen Grube is scheduled to appear in Mercer County Common Pleas Court at 1 p.m. today after being indicted by a grand jury on a single count of obstructing justice.
GRAND LAKE - The nonprofit Lake Improvement Association has launched a cost-share program to help Grand Lake residents pay part of the cost to install aeration in private channels and confined areas.
Funds needed to replace vintage instruments
MINSTER - Jen Beair walked into the Minster High School band room 14 years ago to find 28 musicians and a storage area containing unused instruments.
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Community Development Organization honored distinguished developers during its annual community address Sunday afternoon.
A Celina man remains in critical condition at a Dayton hospital following a pedestrian-pickup truck accident Saturday afternoon.
Celina Police were called to an area near Menard's, 1920 Havemann Road, at 12:39 p.m. They found 54-year-old Timothy J. Chrisman lying in the street.
Local Weekend Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Celina captured the team titles of its own Invitational that also included five Western Buckeye League rivals on Saturday.
ST. HENRY - Bolstered by a pair of solid pitching performances, St. Henry's baseball team won Saturday's Redskin Invitational by knocking off two teams that had played for state titles a year ago.