Investigators have arrested a man in connection with the July 28 fire at the Baker’s Dozen doughnut shop building after new evidence led them to the conclusion that the flames were not caused by an accident, but by arson.

Monday, August 07, 2000

Investigators have arrested a man in connection with the July 28 fire at the Baker’s Dozen doughnut shop building after new evidence led them to the conclusion that the flames were not caused by an accident, but by arson.

Charles D. Fisher, 19, of 726 S. 10th St., Ironton, was arrested Friday evening on a charge of aggravated arson and is currently lodged in the Lawrence County Jail, Ironton Fire Department investigator Jim Monte said.

Evidence showed there was reasonable doubt that the fire was electrical and started in a fuse box in the apartment, as originally thought, Monte said.

Fisher was a tenant at the 408 1/2 S. Second St. apartments at the time of the fire, he said.

"We originally thought the fire started through a short circuit in a receptacle upstairs in the rear apartment," Monte said. "However, after examining several statements that have been taken by the insurance company, the Fire Marshal’s Office, fire chief Tom Runyon and myself, we were able to determine the fire was suspicious."

Firefighters were dispatched to the building July 28 after receiving a Lawrence County 911 call at 1:15 a.m. The fire began in the upstairs apartment and lead to the total loss of the building, fire officials said.

The Play-By-Play Sportsbar also received minimal fire damage and sustained heavy water damage as a result of the fire, Capt. Steve Lewis said.

Monte said the statements that were taken led investigators to suspect arson in the fire.

"We are continuing an examination into the fire, but right now we do know that it started in the rear of the building," he said. "We now have reason to believe that the short circuit was initially caused by the fire and was not the sole cause of the fire."

Details about how the fire started in the apartment, and the arson charge that Fisher faces, are still pending further investigations, Monte said.