Displaying items by tag: house fire

Akron fire has confirmed that one person is dead after Monday morning house fire at 675 Grant Street, near the University of Akron. 

The victim, identified as 26-year-old Kevin McCollum of Grant Street, was found in a second floor bedroom, while two other people who lived in the home made it out. It is believed that the fire started in that bedroom where firefighters found McCollum, around 4:45 a.m. Monday. 

McCollum was a former University of Akron student, attending from August 2010 through December 2015. While initial reports indicated that the home was occupied by University of Akron students, a spokesman for UA clarified that none of the residents of the home were current students at the school. In addition to McCollum, another resident had graduated from UA in the Spring of 2016. The third never attended the school.  

Meanwhile, the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. 

A $25 million federal lawsuit has been filed, claiming Akron landlord Joni Laidig failed to install smoke detectors in the home on E. Tallmadge Avenue that caught fire.

Four members of an Akron family, including two young children died in that fire in the early morning hours of December 3. Three of the four who died were named in the lawsuit that was filed on behalf of their estate. 

The lawsuit claims that 37-year-old Omar Riley and his two daughters, 9-year-old Shanice and 8-year-old Aniyla, all died "as a result of the lack of smoke detectors." 

Shirley Wallis, Riley's girlfriend, also died in the fire, but was not named in the lawsuit. Her 12-year-old daughter Shaniya Simpson was able to escape the fire alive. 

The investigation and now lawsuit are both ongoing. 

Firefighters were called to a house fire in New Franklin Tuesday morning.

The fire on Kepler Road was reported just before 11:00 AM by a United States Postal Employee who was delivering mail at the time and said flames were through the roof of the structure.

Responders from New Franklin, as well as Coventry Township, Green, Canal Fulton, and Lawrence Township, were able to contain the fire to the living room and the roof directly above. The house also sustained heavy smoke damage throughout the rest of the home.

Although the fire was determined to have started in the living room, the cause is still under investigation.

Damage to the home and its contents is estimated to be $110,000.