CINCINNATI — A fire at the building housing the historic Emery Theater is being investigated as "suspicious," the Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) said.
CFD said crews were dispatched to the large, six-story multi-use building, located at 1112 Walnut Street, around 6:41 a.m. Saturday, for reports of "smoke coming from the ceiling." Construction workers nearby alerted CFD to the smoke conditions.
The theater, which is under renovation, is enclosed in the building on one side, while several apartments are on the other side, CFD said. When crews searched the building, they found a fire in the basement, which was extinguished in roughly 10 minutes. CFD said an "extensive effort" was then put forth to get rid of the smoke. Vent 21, a specialized unit, was dispatched to ventilate the smoke, which filled the entire building.
CFD said there were no injuries to residents in the building, firefighters or the nearby construction workers, and none of the residents were displaced. There is an estimated cost of $25,000 in damage. While CFD does not know the cause of the fire, they said the Investigative Unit is looking at it as "suspicious."
In a statement to WCPO, Kim Kern, the president and CEO of The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, which owns the Emery Theater, said "an unknown individual" was responsible for the fire.
"Yesterday, an unknown individual gained access to the Emery and started a small fire in the basement for unknown reasons," Kern said. "One of our subcontractors smelled smoke and called 911. The Cincinnati Fire Department responded within minutes and was able to put out the fire quickly. There was minimal damage from the fire itself and no water or smoke damage."
The Emery Theater is the oldest professional theater for young audiences in the country, according to its website. The theater first opened in 1911 and served as a mainstay for the arts in Cincinnati for decades. The theater fell under the ownership of The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati in 2023 and has been under construction with the goal of The Children's Theatre moving back into Emery Theater, its original home. At least $50 million has been raised to fund the theater's renovations.
"The incident, while unfortunate, will not impact our schedule or opening at all," Kern said. "We are incredibly grateful to the Fire Department for their quick response."
