ASHLAND – Ashland police arrested an Ashland man for arson on Thursday.
Zachary Osborn, 19, is accused of setting fire to a home at 146 Lee Avenue earlier this month.
Ashland Fire Department records show the 1 1/2-story house burned twice, once at 2:36 a.m. on Aug. 2 and again at 1:05 a.m. on Aug 8.
“There is an individual in custody that was involved in both fires,” Ashland Fire Capt. Mark Miller said Friday.
Ashland County Jail records show that person is Osborn, who is being held at the jail on one count of arson while Ashland County Prosecutor Chris Tunnell reviews the case for possible criminal charges.
The Aug. 2 fire caused enough damage to the home to displace Loretta and Jeffrey Martin, who were longtime residents of the house but are not the homeowners.
“The first fire was a significant damaging event,” Miller said. “The fire spread from an exterior four seasons room into the house proper, and there was significant damage throughout the home. There was smoke damage, thermal damage and water damage. Any fire with that type of damage would not allow occupants to inhabit the building.”
Though the damage to the structure and contents of the house was significant, Miller indicated the situation could have been even worse for the Martins.
“They’re very lucky to have escaped a really fast-moving fire without any injury or loss of life,” he said, adding that the early morning hour when the fire occurred can be a particularly dangerous time as people are often asleep.
The second fire Aug. 8 caused additional damage to one of the bedrooms and some adjoining living spaces, according to Miller.
In addition to possible charges related to the suspected arson, Osborn faces charges in two separate open cases in Ashland Municipal Court and is a suspect in another police investigation.
In the first case, Osborn pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a July 19 disturbance call at his residence.
According to a police report from that incident, Osborn admitted he got mad and punched a television, cutting his hand badly enough to go to the emergency room.
In the second case, Osborn has been charged with criminal damaging for an Aug. 18 incident in which two televisions were broken and a front porch railing was ripped off at Osborn’s residence at 137 Sherman Ave. Osborn was set to appear in court on that charge Friday, but the arraignment was continued after Osborn was arrested Thursday.
Osborn is also listed by police as a suspect in an alleged act of vandalism that was reported July 6 at the same house where the fires happened.
The incident description from the July 6 police report has been redacted, but police noted damage to two tires, and they recorded a set of scissiors from a kitchen knife set as evidence.
