Believed transient set the blaze to keep warm

The Ironton Fire Department was called out Thursday evening to put out a fire at the city compost fire they suspect was purposely set.

IFD Captain Joe Stevens said they got the call around 9:45 p.m. on what would be the 900 block of Lawrence Street near Molten’s Field. They had the fire out around 12:30 a.m.

“We got the fire contained pretty quick. The street department came in with a front end loader and cut some paths around it so it wouldn’t spread any farther and then we put it out from there,” Stevens said. “It was obviously arson, because it was 20 degrees. They just started a fire on one side.”

Stevens guessed that it was probably a transient who started the fire to get warm.

“It is likely arson, because there was no heat source out there,” he said. “We have these things a couple times a year. It could have been someone trying to stay warm. We have a lot of transients and there is a walking path along there, but nobody goes back there unless they are dumping yard waste.”