Kettering veteran killed in house fire remembered by family

KETTERING — UPDATE @ 9:40 p.m.

Family members are sharing stories and memories of a Kettering man killed in a house fire Sunday morning with WHIO’s Sean Cudahy.

James Towe is remembered as a joking father and good friend who reportedly served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division.

Towe’s son, James Towe told Cudahy his dad was a comedian who playfully cracked jokes.

"I'm trying to hold my own, I'll catch myself grieving [...] trying to keep myself composed to figure everything out," Towe said.

Towe said he and his brother are the last remaining family members living in the area.

“We’re going to try and talk to the VA [...] I guess he didn’t have any insurance policy so it’s going to be rough trying to come up with the funeral costs,” Towe said.

Towe said firefighters told him the deadly fire may have been caused by a heating blanket his father used.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Kettering firefighters.

UPDATE @ 3:44 p.m.

The Montgomery County Coroner had identified the victim in a Sunday morning house fire in Kettering.

James Towe, 72, of Kettering was pronounced dead at the scene after several unsuccessful attempts at CPR.

UPDATE @ 12:46 p.m.

Kettering firefighters continue to investigate the cause of a house fire that claimed the life of an elderly man Sunday morning.

Firefighters said the man was home alone at the time of the fire and crews made several unsuccessful resuscitation attempts at the scene.

We will continue to update this report as new details emerge.

UPDATE @11:15 a.m: One person has died after a house fire occurred in Kettering Sunday morning, according to Kettering Police.

RELATED: Crews battle a basement fire in Dayton

Crews were dispatched to the 2800 block of Ghent Avenue around 10:45 a.m. and were met with a fully involved fire on arrival.

CPR was attempted on the rescued individual. No word on what caused the fire’s start.

RELATED: 2 homes, 3 yards damaged after Dayton garage fire 

INITIAL REPORT

Units responded to the 2800 block of Ghent Avenue on a working structure fire Sunday morning.

The incident occurred around 10:45 a.m. in Kettering.

Flames were showing from the structure on arrival, per initial reports.

We have a crew on the way to the scene and will update this story with more details.