Five die in Ohio duplex blaze

GREENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A fire that started in one duplex apartment spread to the other apartment Sunday morning, killing five people, including two children, fire officials said.

A separate house fire in Washington, D.C., killed two other people, authorities said.

Three people died at the scene in Greenville, and a fourth victim — a 5-year-old girl — died after she was taken to the hospital, Greenville fire chief Mark Wolf said.

Greenville fire dispatcher Melissa Fponaugle confirmed a fifth fatality late Sunday, but no further details were available.

At least 10 people were inside the duplex when the fire began just after 9 a.m., said Greg Fraley, the city’s mayor.

The number of injured had not been determined Sunday afternoon, Fraley said. An adult who jumped from the building was taken to a hospital, he said.

Where it began

The fire began in one of the building’s two apartments, and then spread to the other apartment through a common attic, Greenville Fire Capt. Jeff Dohme said.

It was not yet clear what started the blaze, but the building was heavily damaged.

Neighbor Jason Forbis, 32, said he tried to put out the flames on a child by covering her with wet towels.

“I keep focusing on the girl because I can still see her face,” he said. “I will never forget that girl’s face.”

Greenville is about 40 miles northwest of Dayton near the Indiana border.

Meanwhile, a house fire killed a 77-year old woman in Washington, D.C. Her son, who had run back into the burning home in an apparent attempt to rescue her, also died.

Firefighters were called to the rowhouse in Northwest Washington about 6:45 a.m. and found a 30-foot wall of flames at the back of the building, said District of Columbia Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter.

Witnesses told rescuers they thought Ramsi Gilbert, 39, was trying to save his mother.

Firefighters rescued Letha Gilbert, 77, and performed CPR on the scene, Etter said. She died later at a hospital.