Staff photo / Brandon Cantwell This property at 1182 Churchill Hubbard Road has been the site of multiple arsons over the past few months, according to Liberty fire Chief Douglas Theobald. Trustees on Monday approved the structures — a trailer and other buildings — for demolition.

LIBERTY — A property at 1182 Churchill Hubbard Road that has been the site of multiple fires over the past few months was approved Monday for demolition.

Trustees approved declaring a trailer and other structures unfit for human habitation. Fire Chief Douglas Theobald inspected them and deemed them to be “unsecure, unsafe and structurally defective,” resulting in the need for the structures to be demolished and removed.

The property owners and any parties of interest will be given 20 days to request a hearing before trustees and 30 days after being notified to protest the demolition. If no action is taken, the board authorizes the township’s administrator to enter into contracts with private contractors or the Trumbull County Land Bank for the structures’ demolition, according to the resolution’s language provided at the meeting.

The parcel has sustained five fires since June, according to Theobald.

“(It’s) the same area; it’s three times to the one trailer, twice to the building behind. They’ve all been exterior fires,” Theobald said.

He said the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s office has been looking into the fires “since Day One,” and that evidence from each fire has been sent to their labs for analysis. Investigators have expressed belief that the fires have been intentionally set, leading the office to offer a reward of up to $5,000 for anyone offering information regarding them, according to a sign near the property.

“I’m not aware if he’s received those reports yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t; it all depends on the workload in the lab,” Theobald said. “I’m not speaking for the lab’s protocols, but I believe there’s protocols — some things take precedence over others. This is a non-fatal fire, so if there is lab work related to it, it’ll come first.”

Theobald said the hardest part will be finding the person — or persons — responsible for the fires, adding that he wants people to understand that it is under investigation and that it may take a while.

“It could take longer than people think; we’re not turning a blind eye to it. We’re actively investigating these fires, we’re actively seeking leads,” Theobald said. “We’ve tried to get camera footage; all of that is being gathered.”

JUNE 7 EXPLOSION

Theobald gave an update as to where things stood with an East Montrose Street house, the site of a fatal explosion that immediately killed one and critically injured a man and a 4-year-old boy. The boy died of his injuries on Aug. 23, according to a representative from the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Dominick Brown, a resident who lives across from the house, voiced the neighborhood’s desire for closure, as it has been three months since the incident.

“I have to pull out of my driveway and look at this every day,” Brown said. “The last report, I had spoken with the state fire marshal; he said that the property had been turned over to the insurance company.”

Theobald confirmed that fact and said the property owner has hired a demolition company, which has to obtain permits to move forward.

“I can’t speak for the county, how long for a permit to take place, but they’ve filed for the permits to tear the property down,” Theobald said. “It’ll turn back into a vacant lot. There will be no structure left.”

Investigators said the explosion and subsequent fire were caused by the manufacturing of illegal fireworks at the home. No one has been charged in the case.