Chillicothe fire department early Thursday evening responded to a report of a back porch on fire at a house in the 200 block of Southwest Drive of Chillicothe.
Upon arrival, the fire department reported a neighbor with a garden hose was putting out the fire. The home is owned by Bill Mast and rented by Rodney Harkins and Jennifer Plummer.
The firefighters removed some of the siding that had melted and burned in a roughly 8 by 10-foot area then checked the wall with the thermal imaging camera for any remaining hot spots. It was determined the fire had started in a 5-gallon plastic bucket filled with sand used for cigarettes that were next to the outside wall on the back porch.
Damage was contained to the siding on the back wall of the home, and metal roof of the back porch. Neither of the renters was home at the time of the fire about 6 o’clock Thursday evening.
