Suspicious fire extensively damages vacant New Middletown gas station

Staff report

NEW MIDDLETOWN

A suspicious fire caused extensive damage to a vacant gas station in the village.

The fire department received a call at 4:26 a.m. Sunday that a shed behind a boarded-up former Speedway gas station at state Route 170 and Middletown Road was on fire. When firefighters arrived, the shed was fully engulfed and the blaze spread to the gas station structure. The shed is a total loss while the station building sustained a lot of damage, said Police Chief Vincent D’Egidio.

The station has been vacant for more than 10 years, D’Egidio said.

The fire is being investigated as suspicious, he said. Anyone with information about the fire should call the New Middletown Fire Department at 330-542-1564 or the police department at 330-740-2370.