ASHTABULA COUNTY, A fire in Jefferson, Ohio has left a mother and her two young children dead, with authorities continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze.
A tragic apartment fire in Ashtabula County, Ohio has claimed the lives of a 25-year-old mother and her two young children, while three other people were injured.
The victims were identified as Joline Cooper and her children, Atreus and Celeste Kershaw. The incident occurred Friday morning after a former barn converted into apartments was engulfed in flames.
Officials said three people died in the fire, while three others were injured and transported for medical treatment, according to Ashtabula County authorities.
Three additional individuals managed to escape the burning structure, including a 1-year-old child who was thrown from a window. All survivors were treated at a hospital and later released, WKYC reported.
The State Fire Marshal said the fire broke out around 7:30 a.m. Friday in the 2100 block of Jefferson-Eagleville Road in Jefferson.
At the time of the fire, the family was reportedly using alternative heating sources due to a maintenance issue. Investigators said propane tanks may have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames through the converted barn structure.
Crews from nearly a dozen fire departments responded to the scene as part of a mutual aid effort, according to Cleveland19.
Austinburg Township Fire Chief Bill Welms said multiple departments were called in due to limited water supply in the area.
“I imagine we had 10 other fire departments because we had to call for tankers and all that for the water supply, because we don’t have hydrants,” Welms said. “It was a very difficult fire. When we got on scene, it was a defensive fire, so we surrounded and drowned it as best we could, and everything collapsed.”
Authorities said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
