Cause of Priem Road Fire Still Under Investigation

The cause of a fire that destroyed a house on Priem Road early Friday morning is still undetermined.

Assistant Fire Chief Jack Draves said an investigator for the insurance company was on the site Monday and will compare notes with Strongsville's investigator, as well as the state fire marshal's office.

"There were some things that weren't adding up," Draves said. "We wanted to get some other expertise."

But he said it's too early to speculate on the cause.

"The neighbors are still providing witness statements," he said.

The $275,000 house at 9889 Priem Rd. was declared a total loss. The blaze was reported by neighbors about 12:30 a.m.

No one was home at the time. Draves said the residents spend part of their time in Florida, and were actually driving back to Ohio when they learned of the fire.

He said they also live some of the time in a motor home in Portage County.

The house was fully involved with fire when firefighters arrived. 

"Fortunately no one was in the home; fire conditions would not have been survivable," Fire Chief Jeff Branic said.

Draves said the point of origin has also not yet been pinned down. He said investigators typically look for where there is the most damage, or where the fire burned hottest, to help determine where a blaze started.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Strongsville Fire Department at 440-580-3210 and ask to speak with the shift commander.

It was the second major house fire in Strongsville last week, following  that destroyed a garage and badly damaged the home.

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