FIRE UPDATE | Fire chief says blaze does not appear intentional
YOUNGSTOWN — Fire Chief John O'Neill says a preliminary investigation shows that the cause of a triple fatal fire late Tuesday on 1524 Bryson St. does not appear to be intentional.
O'Neill said the fire started between the first and second floor of the North Side home. Five firefighters were injured.
O'Neill said investigators want to learn why the fire burned so quickly. He said they are still looking for a cause.
The man whose home caught fire killing his 25-year-old daughter and his two grandchildren said he was awakened by a loud boom.
Watching fire investigators sift through the debris of his home, Neil Autry said he thought the noise was the children coming downstairs.
"I went to put the kids back to bed and I walked into a blaze of fire," a subdued Autry said.
The fire broke out about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The children, a 2-year-old boy and a girl under 1, also died. Autry and his wife managed to escape. Autry said the victims were in an upstairs room in the back of the house.
A fire department spokesman at the scene said three firefighters who suffered burns and blisters while fighting the blaze are going to be fine.
The Mahoning County Dog Warden's office also removed a dog from the back yard that had slight burns on his back.
Neighbors praised the actions of firefighters who arrived at the burning home, saying they placed ladders in the thick of the flames and climbed up them with no hesitation to try and save Autry’s daughter, Nakema, and her two children.
“They were yelling, ‘Get in there! Get in there!’” said Elizabeth Gonzalez, who was at a friend’s house behind Autry’s home when it caught fire.
Carla Saddler said she got home 15 minutes before the fire and couldn’t believe how involved the fire was. She said the firefighters went above and beyond in their efforts to save the three.
“I knew in the intensity of the heat [the firefighters] would get hurt,” Saddler said. “May God bless them and may they heal. They did their diligent job.”
Investigators have not yet said what may have caused the fire but appear to be focusing on the front of the home, where Autry said he was sleeping.