Old Ohio lumber building goes up in flames

Witnesses allegedly saw 2 teens running from the scene

1/9/2012
BLADE STAFF

HILLSBORO, Ohio — Fire has roared through a more than 100-year-old building in southern Ohio that used to house a lumber business and, before that, an ice company.

An Ohio fire marshal’s investigator says smoke from Sunday afternoon’s fire at the former Highland Enterprise Lumber Co. in Hillsboro could be seen for many miles.

Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings tells the Times-Gazette  that witnesses saw two teenagers running from the property as the fire broke out. But police said it was too soon to characterize the fire as suspicious.

Hastings says at least two firefighters who were injured were treated at the scene and then went back to work on the fire.

The lumber yard closed in 2010, so there was no lumber stored in the building.