Covington fire forces family out of home, may have been intentionally set

COVINGTON, Ky. - A fire that broke out at a Covington house early Wednesday morning may have been intentionally set.

The fire started at a two-family home located at 1326 Wood Street around 1:30 a.m. Three people were inside when fire crews arrived on scene.  Everyone made it out of the building safely.

Officials told 9 News they suspect arson and a neighbor in the area says she saw a person set the fire before walking away from the scene. The neighbor, Laverne Wilson, also says that earlier Tuesday she saw several people digging around the house.

"I saw someone, you know, leaving the scene," Wilson said. "First it was just a little fire and then it went 'boom' and blew up real fast."

The blaze left a family looking for a place to stay and the local fire department questioning its budget cuts.

Budget cuts to the Covington fire forces may have led to a delay in response to the fire. The residence is about a half mile from a Covington Fire Department station that would normally dispatch crews, however, because of recent budget cuts, the engine was dispatched from Covington's much farther Station 8.

The nearest station to the fire was located at Station 1, 100 East Robbins Street -- a distance of .4 miles from the house, according to Google Maps. Station 8 is located at 3315 Church Street, a distance of 2.1 miles, according to Google Maps. Check maps below to see the distances between the stations and the house.

Fire officials say the blaze damaged the home's back porch, but they don't yet know an estimated cost of damage.

The Red Cross is heading to the scene to help the four adults and their children find shelter.

Crews continue to investigate.

Stay with 9 News and WCPO.com for updates as they become available.

Map from house to Station 1

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Map from house to Station 8

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