1 dies in house fire on W. Crawford Street

Independent staff and submitted information

Van Wert firefighters were called to a fatal fire at 322 W. Crawford St. on Friday afternoon, Fire Chief Jon Jones reported.

The VWFD received a report of a structure fire at 4:13 p.m. Friday and firefighters found heavy fire and smoke coming from the first story of the house upon their arrival minutes later. The main fire was centered on the living room of the house, where firefighters found one person dead while searching the first floor.

Due to strong winds, the fire was not brought under control until 5:43 p.m., with firefighters clearing the scene at 8:52 p.m. Friday.

Damage to the structure was rated as moderate and the loss valued at approximately $50,000. A total of 12 firefighters and five fire units were at the scene. Assisting the VWFD at the scene was the Van Wert Police Department and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office was contacted to assist in determining the cause of the fire, while the Van Wert County Coroner’s Office declared the as yet unidentified occupant dead at the scene. No fire personnel were injured.