Fires set in former mental health center

Firefighters use extinguishers to put out smoldering trash fires removed from the abandoned mental health center.

Multiple trash fires set yesterday in the former Toledo Mental Health Center's receiving hospital at 930 South Detroit Ave. tied up 45 firefighters for almost an hour, authorities said.

First fire crews were dispatched at 6:21 p.m., and a second alarm was sounded four minutes later. Firefighters discovered up to six piles of construction material on fire in different parts on all three floors of a huge H-shaped brick building, Battalion Fire Chief Greg Locher said.

“The fires were obviously intentionally set,” the chief said.

Firefighters had all the blazes under control by 7:07 p.m. Their efforts were hindered by the size of the building and the long, narrow corridors through which they had to drag hose lines, Chief Locher said.

Damage to the vacant building, now owned by the Medical College of Ohio, was minimal, he said.