COLUMBUS — Fire officials say two people are dead after a fire ripped through their Franklinton duplex.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
A man and woman who were both in their 60s died in the Monday morning blaze on Brehl Avenue, Battalion Chief Tracy Smith said.
They are not being identified until their families can be notified.
Five other people, including three children, escaped from that half of the duplex.
One of the children, a girl whose age was not immediately available, was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for treatment of minor burns. A 53-year-old woman was taken to Mount Carmel West hospital for treatment, and a 28-year-old man escaped without injuries. Their names and their relationship to the others also haven’t been released.
Smith said it was too early to say what started the blaze, which was reported just after 11:00 a.m., or to brand it as either accidental or suspicious. The first firefighters to arrive found heavy fire and were told that people might be trapped inside.
By 11:22 a.m., firefighters were ordered to evacuate the duplex because of the severity of the fire and had to fight the flames only from the outside. Strong winds and bitter cold complicated their efforts.
Neighbors said the woman who died used a wheelchair.
Fire officials say several pets also died in the fire.