24-year-old Hubbard man dies in early morning blaze

HUBBARD

Neighbors remember a young man who died in a fire Friday morning for his outgoing personality.

They say he often was outside and could be counted on to help them with car trouble and landscaping.

Josh Parkany, 24, lived in an apartment above a garage on the 1900 block of State Line Road in Hubbard Township near Pennsylvania.

The Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the matter and believes the fire began accidentally.

Crews responded just after 7 a.m. to the blaze, which decimated the garage and attached apartment.

Firefighters brought in tanker trucks with water due to the lack of hydrants in the area. Farmland borders the apartment on one side.

Sgt. Mike Begeot, Hubbard Township police detective, said the flames spread rapidly because the building was old and composed of dry timber. Begeot believes there were no smoke detectors in the dwelling.

In an early morning 911 call, a man and a woman frantically tell a dispatcher about seeing the fire. The woman says tearfully, “It’s the garage [above] my son’s apartment. He’s in there.”

Read more about the victim in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.