Woman, 3 children killed in Akron house fire; neighbor describes somber scene

AKRON, OH (WOIO) - The Akron Fire Department says four people were found dead inside a home at the scene of a fire Wednesday morning.

Akron firefighters responded to heavy fire and smoke billowing from a Kenmore neighborhood house near 18th Street and Battles Avenue.

Crews attempted to enter the burning home multiple times to search for any trapped victims, but were initially unable to because of the severity of the fire.

Eventually, four deceased victims were recovered inside the home.

The medical examiner has not publicly identified the victims, but said it was a woman and three children.

“It was sad. I didn’t realize it, until I actually saw them take the bodies out. It hit me hard, I feel sad for the man that lived there,” said neighbor Chelsea Cole. “I think he was (home) because I saw him out earlier...after the house caught on fire. He was out without a shirt on and in his sweat pants, just crying.”

The extreme cold hampered efforts to fight the fire. The area became covered with ice and was hazardous to walk around the scene, according to the Akron Fire Department.

Buses from Akron’s public transit system were requested to the scene to serve as warming centers for firefighters breaking from battling the house fire.

The fire department, as well as arson investigators, remained on scene for the majority of the day until the fire was brought under control and extinguished hours later.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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