2 identified, listed in critical condition after Middletown house fire

Middletown Deputy Chief Jeff Spaulding said the fire remains under investigation but it doesn’t appear to be “criminal nature.”

He said when firefighters arrived at 2 a.m., flames were evident on the first floor and were shooting out the exterior. He believes the fire started in a back bedroom in the first floor.

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Five people were home at the time of the fire, and three escaped uninjured, he said.

He said at least one smoke detector was working in the house and it alerted the residents.

Firefighters were on the scene for about five hours and Middletown received mutual aid from Franklin, Monroe and Liberty Twp. firefighters and Franklin EMS.

UPDATE @ 6:51 a.m.:

Middletown Fire officials said that two people were transported to the hospital due to a fire in a house on Carroll Avenue.

When crews arrived at 2:08, the house had fire showing on three sides, officials said, and was rapidly expanding to the second floor and the roof. The fire damaged houses on either side as well.

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Officials said that they believed there were four residents in the home, and two were transported initially to Atrium Medical Center before being flown to Miami Valley Hospital.

A neighbor on the scene said that the victims were a teenager and an older man.

“Our crews did a great job,” officials said, adding that crews were still on scene.

The Middletown Fire Department was assisted on the scene by mutual aid from Franklin, Liberty Township, and Joint Emergency Medical Services.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

INITIAL REPORT:

Fire crews are responding to a reported house fire in the 1800 block of Carroll Avenue in Middletown.

According to scanner traffic, a medic has been requested to the scene.

We are working to learn more and will update this story as more information becomes available.