HAMILTON, Ohio — Logan Scott Henry was 17 when he started the fire that razed a vacant Hamilton warehouse, according to police, but he’s 18 now — and bound to be tried as an adult on charges of arson, aggravated arson and breaking and entering.
The city of Hamilton would spent $210,000 cleaning up after the July 25 fire, which melted the siding off six nearby homes, damaged neighbors’ cars and produced a plume of black smoke visible from 15 miles away.
“I’ve never seen flames that big, the smoke went so high, the sky was orange ... It was like something out of a horror movie," neighbor Harlee Senters said shortly after the fire. "It was so scary.”
Henry would be arrested in early August. Police said he confessed to starting the fire, and Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said publicly he wanted to charge Henry as an adult.
Hoping to avoid a similar incident in the future, city council passed an ordinance in October requiring vacant buildings’ owners to pay an annual registration fee.
