BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT THOMAS -- With a costly town house fire still unsolved, investigators are turning to the public for help.
Fort Thomas police think somebody knows who set 15 Grand Lakes unitsablaze early July 7. And although tips are starting to come in, nothing has panned out so far.
Investigators are particularly interested in finding four young men seen in the area of the fire minutes before the flames were discovered about 3 a.m. A police officer spotted them and thought they might be up to something, but he had to help another officer with an arrest and did not have time to question them.
"I think they might be the key," Detective Sgt. Foy Razor said Thursday. "But (the officer) didn't have the luxury of saying, "I'm going to go back and see who these kids are.' "
The fire, in the Grand Lake development at Grand and Highland avenues, caused an estimated $750,000 in damage. The area is still under construction. It was the second recent fire in the city at a construction site of high-priced homes.
"We solved the first one, and we're very optimistic that we'll solve this one," Detective Razor said. "But you kiss a lot of frogs in this business."
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.
