Brookfield fire victim slept in a basement bedroom

BROOKFIELD — The man who died in a fire at his Ohio Street Southwest home early Sunday had gone to sleep in his bedroom in the basement while his wife and their two children slept in a camper parked outside.

The man, 52, who has not been identified yet by Brookfield police and fire officials and the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, normally slept in the basement, said Capt. Mike Hagood of the Brookfield Fire Department.

Firefighters found the man deceased on the basement stairs within a few minutes of arriving at the home but left his body there while they completed fighting the fire, Hagood said.

It’s proper procedure to leave a body undisturbed to preserve evidence, Hagood explained.

The man’s wife and children, who are about 10 years old, were not injured.