MTFR responds to second fire of the year
- Published: March 12, 2026
A Jan. 19 house fire at 3711 State Route 72 N., just outside Clifton, was quickly contained thanks to a rapid response, Miami Township Fire Chief James Cannell told trustees at their Jan. 21 meeting. The fire erupted just one week after MTFR responded to a house fire on Lawson Place.
Cannell said the call came in at about 11:30 a.m., with crews able to respond immediately because MTFR personnel were not engaged in another run at the time. Cedarville Township firefighters arrived first, and were quickly joined by Miami Township crews and support from Xenia Township.
“The homeowner was present and quickly discovered the fire, which originated in the wall of their older-style farmhouse due to a faulty chimney pipe,” Cannell wrote in an email sent to trustees the evening of the fire. He said the fire spread “inside the wall, around the chimney box, and into the attic and roof area.”
Crews stopped the fire before it spread beyond the room where it started, and remained on the scene until shortly after 1 p.m. Cannell reported that there were no injuries and that the homeowner was “able to re-occupy the residence.”
“We’ve had two house fires just recently, one week apart, and I’m pretty proud of the actions of everybody, the fact that we got there fast,” Cannell said. “They were two fires that really could have gotten out of control, really, really fast.”
Because the fire at 3711 State Route 72 N. occurred in an area without hydrants, multiple departments were called for tanker support to shuttle water to the scene, but Cannell said several were canceled as the fire was brought under control.
In his broader fire department report, Cannell said Miami Township Fire-Rescue responded to 1,038 total runs in 2025. Of those, 453 were ambulance transports, generating about $193,500 in gross revenue.
Looking ahead to the weekend, when severe cold temperatures are expected and heavy snow is a possibility, Cannell said the department is preparing by increasing staffing as needed.
“If it’s a day where we may be at two during the day and three at night, I’ll bring another one in,” he said. “We’re ready for it.”
In other Township business:
• Trustees corrected minutes from a previous meeting to note that blanket certificates — authorizations required for the Township to pay routine bills throughout the year — had not yet been issued for 2026 by Fiscal Officer Jeanna GunderKline. Trustees emphasized the importance of prioritizing the filings.
• Cannell reported that the Clifton firehouse has been fully cleared and is ready for turnover, with plans for part of the building to be used for post office boxes following the December closure of the Clifton post office.
• Trustees scheduled a Jan. 29 work session to review a Township purchasing policy.
• The Greene County Regional Planning and Coordinating Commission, in collaboration with the Miami Township Zoning Commission, will hold a public open house Thursday, Feb. 5, to review and answer questions on 14 new text amendments of the Miami Township Zoning Resolution. The open house will be from 6–7 p.m. in the meeting room at the Miami Township fire station, 101 E. Herman St.
Community members may attend and express their opinions. To submit written testimony or receive a copy of the proposed amendments, contact Zoning Administrator Bryan Lucas at blucas@miamitownship.net or 937-767-2460, option 5.
All of the proposed text amendments can also be found on the township website under the dropdown tab “Zoning/Zoning Resolution.”
The Miami Township Zoning Commission will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at 7 p.m., immediately following the open house.
The Yellow Springs News encourages respectful discussion of this article.
You must login to post a comment.
Don't have a login? Register for a free YSNews.com account.
No comments yet for this article.