Captain: Rash of suspicious fires 'concerning'

A fire in an abandoned Avondale house on Monday night marks the third suspicious fire in the neighborhood in the past week, officials said.

Emergency crews responded to the 500 block of Blair Avenue just after 7 p.m. and found "heavy fire blowing out of the front windows," Cincinnati District Fire Cpt. Greg Potter said.

No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and no firefighters were injured while extinguishing the blaze. Officials estimate the fire damage at $10,000.

"With a bunch of arsons in the area, it's concerning," Potter said.

Two fires broke out within hours of each other early Friday morning near the intersection of Blair Court and Ridgeway Avenue, less than half a mile from a fire authorities responded to Monday.

"In the past week, we've probably had at least five or six fires" with similar circumstances, Potter said, including other fires in Bond Hill.

No details about the cause of the fire has been released. No further details are available.