FOSTORIA, Ohio (WNWO/AP) — State Fire Marshal investigators have determined the origin of the fire to be on the first floor of the home, on the south-facing side.
The cause has been ruled undetermined, however, investigators have not ruled out electrical or heating related sources as potential causes.
A funeral home says 19-year-old firefighter trainee Austin Rainey, his parents and two younger siblings also in the farmhouse fire Thursday just outside Fostoria. They've been identified as 45-year-old James Rainey, 41-year-old Jodi Depinet-Rainey, 15-year-old Cody Rainey and 7-year-old Jessica Rainey.
Authorities say the fire was so intense that the first firefighters to arrive could not get inside to save the victims.====================
FOSTORIA, OHIO — Five bodies were recovered from a home that was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning in Seneca County.
Authorities identified one of the victims as 19-year-old Austin Rainey, a Bascom Joint Fire District cadet and recent graduate of Hopewell-Loudon High School.
Two other adults and two children also perished in the fire at 10331 W. Ohio 18, just east of Fostoria. The other victims are believed to be Rainey’s mother, father, younger brother and younger sister. Two dogs were also found dead in the home.
The identities of the remaining victims were being withheld Thursday pending confirmation by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
Three agents from the State Fire Marshal’s Office are helping investigate to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
When Austin Rainey’s body was removed from the fire scene, it was draped in an American flag and escorted by Bascom firefighters and the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office to the intersection of Township Road 26 and Ohio 18. From there, the convoy was joined by the Tiffin Fire Department as the body was taken to Engle-Shook Funeral Home in Tiffin.
During a press briefing late Thursday afternoon, Seneca County Public Information Officer Dean Henry said the tragedy has hit Bascom’s fire department “very hard.”
“This is a very small community, a very small department — all of these people knew one another,” Henry said. “Some of these firefighters are second- and third-generation firefighters. It’s not just something they do, it’s a part of their life. It’s very difficult.”
Rainey joined Bascom’s fire department after graduating from high school and was scheduled to take his firefighter exam on Nov. 12.
Kelly Stincer, public information officer with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, said the first 911 call came from inside the home at about 3:46 a.m. Thursday when the daughter contacted an emergency dispatch center from her father’s cellphone.
According to Fostoria Police Division reports, two more 911 calls came in at about 3:53 a.m. Thursday. Screaming could reportedly be heard in the background of those calls.
Another caller reported the structure was fully engulfed and informed the dispatcher that residents may have been inside the home.
When the first units arrived, firefighters began an exterior-only attack, meaning it was not safe for them to venture inside the home.
“It was fully involved. There was a lot of fire coming out of the front — a lot of heavy smoke,” said Bascom Fire Chief Mark DeVault. “There was a lot of fire. It just took a while to get it knocked out.”
After the fire was extinguished, officials said the structural integrity of the home was compromised, which made it difficult for investigators to search for the victims.
“… The structure of the home was so unsteady that they had to stabilize it in order to be able to do their job,” Stincer said. “They were stabilizing it so they could extract (the victims) without it all crashing down because they needed to transport the bodies out of the home.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) is assisting the State Fire Marshal’s Office in its investigation, using a three-dimensional imaging device known as FARO, which allows authorities to see a detailed diagram of the structure.
Officials said the blaze is not being investigated as a homicide.
“This is not a crime scene, and the existence of BCI should not be construed as any suggestion that this is a crime scene or that arson is involved,” Henry said. “They are here for technical assistance.”
Four fire departments responded to the initial call, prompting authorities to close a large portion of Ohio 18.
Hopewell-Loudon Local School had a two-hour delay as a result of the fire, and the Seneca County Opportunity Center closed for the day.
Firefighters from the Fostoria, New Riegel, Kansas, Attica, Bloomville and Old Fort assisted Bascom, as well as personnel from Seneca County and Bascom EMS, the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and the American Red Cross.
Thursday night, about 70 community members gathered at Hopewell-Loudon High School to mourn the family.
David Alvarado, superintendent of Hopewell-Loudon, said the two youths who were killed attended the district school. Counselors were brought in to help students deal with their grief.
Here is the info listed in Austin Rainey's facebook pages:
Intro
18, love football. Taken by the best 10-28-15
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🔐 Briana was Present here😍😘💙💜🔐
😍😘💜💙🔐 Briana was Present here😍😘💙💜🔐- Cashier at Fostoria, Ohio
- Went to Hopewell-Loudon High School
- Lives in Fostoria, Ohio
- In a relationship with Briana Lynn Hepp
- From Fostoria, Ohio
- Joined November 2014