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House fire ends in fatality |
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Monday, 15 October 2007 |
By ANNIE ZELM
Staff Writer
An area man was found dead after a fire of unknown origin destroyed his house late Sunday night.
Robert E. Frick, 87, was found inside his residence at 63 W. Oak St., Uniopolis, after officials from the Uniopolis and St. Johns fire departments extinguished the flames.
Another elderly occupant of the house, identified as Frick’s cousin, escaped through a back door. She was transported to St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima with chest pains but no visible injuries, Uniopolis Fire Chief Kelly Knutzen said.
The woman’s name is not being released pending family notification.
Knutzen said the structure and contents of the house were declared a total loss.
Several units from each of the two volunteer fire departments responded to the scene shortly after receiving a 911 telephone call at 11:43 p.m.
“The house was already engulfed in flames when we arrived, and at that point, with the extent of the damage, we knew it wasn’t going to be a good outcome,” Knutzen said.
Firefighters remained on the scene until approximately 4 a.m.
Frick’s body was transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.
Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon said the incident remains under investigation through his office, the Uniopolis Fire Department and Ohio State Fire Marshall’s Office. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 October 2007 )
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