A Miami Township residence, along with two vehicles and a motor home, became the scene of a suspected arson early yesterday morning. According to court documents obtained by WLWT, 34-year-old Christopher Marshall has been charged with second-degree aggravated arson for allegedly setting multiple fires on a property located in the 4900 block of East Miami River Road near Cleves.
Marshall was arrested at the scene and is now held at the Hamilton County Justice Center. He awaits his arraignment. While the fires raged, two individuals were reported to escape the burning residence; they were treated on the scene and found by firefighters cleaning their gear at a station across the street, according to a WCPO interview with Miami Township Fire Chief Matt Schumann.
Additional fire crews had to be called in to combat the blazes at different locations around the property. The Hamilton County Fire Investigation Unit is working to unravel the causes behind each ignition point, which Schumann described as "suspicious" because of their separation.
Yet to be prosecuted this morning, the community surrounding the 4900 block of East Miami River Road is left grappling with an act that flames tore through their sense of safety, detailed in a report by FOX19. Marshall, incarcerated without bond, leaves a neighborhood disturbingly awakened to the vulnerabilities within slumber's reach, and one man's actions can ignite so much more than just property—the torching of tranquility.
