Man’s body is found inside burned house

The victim was found on a couch in a den/family room near the kitchen.

AUSTINTOWN — How a township man died inside his house that burned on busy state Route 46 is pending a coroner’s report.

Firefighters called to 142 N. Canfield-Niles Road at 7:47 p.m. Tuesday found the small two-story house fully engulfed in flames, said assistant Fire Chief Andrew Frost III. The victim was found after the fire was put out, he said.

The Mahoning County coroner’s office said Wednesday night the victim was Traian Foias, 46, who is the owner of the two-story beige house.

Investigators with the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, called in to assist township firefighters, were at the scene Wednesday morning. They referred questions to a public information officer.

The fire started near a south wall in the kitchen, according to Shane Cartmill, Ohio state fire marshal spokesman in Columbus. He said smoke alarms did activate.

Cartmill said the victim was found on a couch in a den/family room near the kitchen. He said the cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office.

Mahoning County, temporarily without a pathologist, has been sending bodies to Cuyahoga for autopsy for the past month or so, a spokesman said.

Frost said a next-door neighbor wasn’t able to say how many people lived in the house just south of Norquest Boulevard.

Damage to the house was set at $50,000, a total loss, Frost said.

Using trees on the property, firefighters encircled the yard with yellow tape to preserve the scene for investigators.