ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — Firefighters responded to the area of Three Locks Road for a structure fire Monday evening.
According to initial reports, firefighters from multiple area townships responded to the 5000 block of Three Locks Road, just south of Chillicothe, for a residential fire.
The call came in around 9:30 p.m.
Neighbors in the area were heartbroken at the loss of the house and said that regardless of the circumstances, someone’s property was lost.
“It’s getting kind of bad, shocking. It’s hitting close to home,” said neighbor Phillip Cox.
The cause remains under investigation because the home had no power, officials said. Assistant Fire Chief Chas Kottenbrook of Franklin Township told the Guardian that he called for the State Fire Marshal to investigate the cause of the fire. A squatter was living in the home but made it out safely, according to the fire department.
“When the first call went out, we thought someone might have been in the house. Once we got on scene and started spraying water, county dispatch was made aware that were was not anyone in the house,” the assistant fire chief said.