Dog, 4 cats die in fire at Brookfield home

Dog, 4 cats die in fire at Brookfield home

BROOKFIELD

Two parents and four children living at 931 Judson Road were not home, but a dog and four cats died when the home went up in flames at 9:14 a.m. Wednesday.

The next-door neighbor called 911 when he saw smoke coming from the house.

One dog and one cat survived, said Brookfield firefighter Jeremy Bahen. Firefighters gave both animals oxygen.

The family is being assisted by the American Red Cross. The Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause because the amount of damage was so large, Bahen said.

No dollar amount of damage was available, but the damage was focused on the back of the house near the kitchen and the back exterior of the two-story home.

The Sharon, Pa., Hubbard and Vienna fire departments assisted with the fire, which was out at 9:48 a.m., the Trumbull County 911 center reported.

Man dies after crash

BAZETTA

William C. Ketterer, 52, of Girard, died of an apparent medical emergency at the scene of a single-vehicle accident on state Route 5 early Wednesday.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the accident occurred at 5:58 a.m. when Ketterer’s 2006 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck lost control on the snow-covered highway and struck a guardrail on the right side of the highway heading westbound. The vehicle came to rest in the right lane.

Some time after the crash, Ketterer left his truck and was the victim of what appears to be a medical emergency, which ultimately resulted in his death, the patrol said.

The crash remains under investigation.

Reopened at Fitch

AUSTINTOWN

After closing March 6, the auditorium at Austintown Fitch High School has reopened. The weight-and-pulley system that operates the rigging gave way, which raised safety concerns. The board of education approved a $7,821 contract with Janson Industries to fix the rigging March 15. The repair work is complete.

The high school’s musical “Into the Woods” will take place in the auditorium from March 31 through April 2, and all subsequent events scheduled in the auditorium will remain there.

Ohio Bell sues Youngstown Thermal

YOUNGSTOWN

The Ohio Bell Telephone Co. has sued Youngstown Thermal LLC, the steam heat utility, over $270,433 in damages the phone company said were caused to its communications facilities by Thermal’s steam escaping underground in the 100 block of West Wood Street on April 15, 2015.

The Cleveland-based phone company, doing business as AT&T Ohio, also alleged the steam utility recklessly cut a telephone cable. The civil lawsuit was filed in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Carl Avers, Youngstown Thermal’s chief executive officer, said Ohio Bell has lost all 19 such lawsuits it previously filed against his company because his company’s steam system was installed 120 years ago, and the phone company later installed materials that won’t withstand the heat of the steam.

More Digest on A8