LORAIN — Three people have been taken to the hospital from the scene of a two-car accident in Lorain, and police working the scene are unable to locate an infant who was in one of the cars.

Photo by Bruce Bishop, The Chronicle-Telegram.

The accident happened about 1:15 p.m. at West Ninth Street and Washington Avenue and involved a white Toyota Corolla and a purple Dodge Caravan.

The driver and front-seat passenger from the Toyota were both taken to the hospital, and police working the scene were not initially able to locate an infant that had been in an infant seat in the car’s back seat.

According to Sgt. Mark Carpentiere, “somebody left the scene with the infant, presumably to take it to a hospital,” but police don’t know who the person or people were or where the baby is.

Asked if the person who took the infant was someone who was authorized to do so, Carpentiere said he didn’t know.

The driver of the minivan was also taken to the hospital.

The Toyota received heavy damage to its passenger side door and struck a fire hydrant before coming to rest. Both the driver and the passenger struck the car’s windshield, which shattered.

There was blood on the car’s door and blood on the infant seat. It was not clear whether the blood on the infant seat was from the baby itself or from the driver or passenger.

The minivan received heavy front end damage.

The intersection was closed to traffic as police worked the scene.

Police can be contacted at 204-2100 if anyone has information about the infant’s whereabouts.

Read Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

LORAIN — A fire yesterday evening at a vacant Central Lorain home is arson and was “done in a similar manner” to five recent arson fires a street over, according to the Lorain Fire Department.

A neighbor called about 6:30 p.m. to report a fire at 889 West 23rd Street, according to Assistant Chief Randy Hupp. West 23rd Street backs up to North Central Drive, where there have been five arson fires in the last month.

View Central Lorain arsons in a larger map

Fire was coming from two windows in a front bedroom of the single-story home when firefighters arrived, Hupp said. A back door to the home had been broken into previous to the fire, he said.

He said the home, valued at $24,500, was a total loss.

Hupp called the most recent arson “similar” to the North Central Drive arsons.

“Doors were broken in and stuff was done in a similar manner,” he said.

Hupp couldn’t say how the fire was started but said that in the string of fires, they’ve been started “sometimes just using stuff that’s been left in the house.”

Lorain police Sgt. Mark Carpentiere said police are working in conjunction with the Lorain Fire Department to investigate the arsons and are stepping up patrols in the neighborhood.

“We ask the public to contact us or the Fire Department with any information and to call the Police Department or the Fire Department if they see anyone suspicious in that area,” Carpentiere said.

Carpentiere said his advice to residents is “be alert of of your surroundings.”

“If you see people lurking about or going in or out of abandoned buildings,” call us.

People can call the Fire Department at 204-2221, the Police Department at 204-2100 or 911 to report an emergency.

The five previous arsons were all vacant 4-unit buildings on North Central Drive.

814 and 852 North Central burned Jan. 24, and 824 and 858 North Central burned Jan. 14.

Assistant Chief Anthony Cuevas in the Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau couldn’t initially recall the date or address of the first in the string of fires but said it was before Christmas and was next door to the Jan. 24 fire at 814 North Central. That first building has already been demolished, he said.

Check back at Chroniclet.com and read Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.

A new company called Go Basalt has been awarded a tax credit valued at $384,000 for a $16 million expansion project that will create 100 new jobs in Lorain or Elyria, according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Development.

Company President Dwayne Dillingham said Go Basalt hopes to be up and running in three to four months. He hopes to locate in the old Ford plant in Lorain because it is a free trade zone, but he is also considering the old GM plant on Lowell Street in Elyria.

The 100 jobs created would pay $20 per hour and include benefits and profit-sharing, Dillingham said.

The Ohio Tax Credit Authority announced on Monday it has approved job creation tax credits for 23 businesses involved in projects that are expected to create 1,284 total positions and retain 2,595 jobs for Ohioans.

According to the news release:

Go Basalt LLC has been awarded a 50 percent job creation tax credit for a seven-year term as a result of the company’s expansion in either the City of Lorain or the City of Elyria (Lorain County).

The value of the tax credit is estimated at $384,000 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for seven years.

Go Basalt was incorporated in Ohio in June 2009.

The company has developed a new type of rebar made from basalt fiber.

This $16 million project is expected to create 100 jobs.

“These investments are creating and saving jobs today, while laying a strong foundation for future growth and expansion,” Gov. Ted Strickland said. “We’re partnering with these businesses to help them obtain the resources they need to succeed for the long-term here in Ohio.”

Check back at Chroniclet.com and read Wednesday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

LORAIN — Two abandoned four-unit homes on North Central Drive burned within hours of each other overnight, bringing to five the number of recent fires on the same short street the Lorain Fire Department believes were arson.

Besides the fires’ close timing and proximity, Assistant Chief Anthony Cuevas said the fact that the buildings were vacant points to arson.

“These buildings had no electricity or gas, and they’d been secured at some point,” Cuevas said. “There’s no accidental reason these buildings would have burned. Somebody intentionally set these fires.”

Firefighters were called to 814 North Central Drive just before 10 last night, according to Fire Lt. Shawn Lloyd.

One unit of the 4-unit building was destroyed, and all the units had smoke damage, he said. Damage was estimated at $20,000.

Cuevas was wrapping up his investigation and leaving the scene of the first fire about 11:30 last night when he saw what looked like lights or a television reflecting in the window of another building.

“I though ‘How could that be? There’s no power,” Cuevas said. “We found the back door kicked in, called for the pumper at the other fire, and sure enough.”

That fire, at 852 North Central, another four-unit building, caused about $10,000 in damage.

Just 10 days earlier, Jan. 14, 824 North Central Drive and 858 North Central Drive burned within an hour of each other. Those homes were abandoned four-unit buildings as well.

Cuevas said he investigated another fire sometime before Christmas. It was also a vacant four-unit building. He didn’t know the address, but said it was next to the 814 North Central fire from last night. That building has already been torn down, he said.

Cuevas wouldn’t comment on potential suspects, motives or how the fires were set. He said the Lorain Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau will put together a report on the fires, which it will forward to the Lorain Police Department’s detective bureau for investigation.