South Side fire victim ID'd

YOUNGSTOWN

The victim in a fire on the city’s South Side was identified Thursday by the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office as Ernest Averhart, 70.

An autopsy conducted Thursday revealed that Averhart likely did not die as a result of the fire, but may have died from a cardiovascular event, according to a release. Responders to the scene at 640 W. La Clede Ave. reportedly found the victim face-up on the floor of a first-floor dining room after the fire was extinguished. There was no evidence of traumatic injuries to the body, the coroner’s office said.

Results from toxicology studies are pending and an investigation into the fatality is ongoing.

The case of another fatal fire that occurred Wednesday in the Youngstown area also developed.

Read more about that case in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.