Investigators are searching for the cause of a fire that killed two people early Sunday.
When firefighters arrived on scene of the fire, located in the 800 block of Wiley Avenue, the fire was involved and the house collapsed before crews could put water on it, said Springfield Rescue Division Fire Chief Brian Miller. There was a possible suspected delay in the detection of the fire, and crews were forced to fight the fire defensively.
Once the fire was out, firefighters remained on scene searching through the rubble for the two occupants who were unaccounted for. Crews located a male inside the home once they were able to move the collapsed walls. He was pronounced dead on scene.
Investigators located the remains of a second person Sunday evening.
Both victims were taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. The victims have not been identified at this time.
Miller said firefighters responded to the scene of the fire in under seven minutes, which he said is about one minute and 30 seconds faster than the national standard. Crews arrived on scene between 1:30 and 1:45 a.m.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s was on scene to assist in the search of the two victims.
Columbia Gas of Ohio was on scene to repair a valve after a gas leak during the clean-up.
It is unknown if the gas leak started during or after the fire, but a gas meter was severely damaged from the flames, Miller said. Crews were still on scene Sunday morning pumping water out of the basement and removing debris.
Columbia of Gas is assisting with the investigation of the fatal fire and crews tested lines in the area, according to Columbia Gas of Ohio Communications Manager Dave Rau.
“After completing testing, Columbia Gas is confident that our lines were not the cause of the fire,” Rau said. “Our meter and the other above-ground portion of our gas line were severely damaged by the fire. However, we were able to test the underground portion of the lines and they showed no leaks.”
Rau said gas lines were checked throughout the neighborhood.
