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Body found in rubble

MECCA – A body was removed Sunday from a house that was destroyed by fire a day earlier.

The body removed remains unidentified, though it is believed to be that of Daniel L. Jibotian, 53, of 4894 North Park Ave. Ext. N.E., the site of the fire.

The body was recovered from the basement of the house around 11 a.m. Crews from the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, the Mecca Fire Department, the Trumbull County Coroner and the Ohio State Fire Marshal were on the scene.

Fire crews were also on the scene twice before sunrise Sunday morning when the fire rekindled, a result of high wind, officials said.

The fire was called in at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. A 911 call was received at 3:22 p.m. from a woman who said her husband was suicidal after she told him she wanted a divorce, the report states. He sent her a text message that stated, ”I am crazy Daniel Louis Jibotian 3/18/60 – 04/06/13 Boom,” according to the 911 report. Emergency crews arrived about 3:23 p.m. to find the barn fully engulfed. Crews were held at bay because of the sound of explosions, or gunshots.

”We were advised by family members that he was definitely unstable, and that he was a hunter, there were weapons in the house, in the barn area. When we checked the barn area, we found a lot of casings that went off because of the heat,” Trumbull County sheriff’s Deputy Steve Sabulsky told Tribune Chronicle news partner WYTV 33 News.

Jibotian was a City of Warren employee. Several years ago he was under a city administrative investigation along with five other Water Department employees accused of using city vehicles as transportation to a golf outing in Pennsylvania.

In the mid 1990s workers in the city’s water filtration plant protested on Jibotian’s behalf when he was denied a promotion that was given to a worker who previously had been disciplined and demoted for mishandling city funds.

During the fire Saturday, police unsuccessfully tried to contact Jibotian and were unable to get into the house, the 911 report states. Smoke rolled out of the home’s windows and then could be seen spewing from the attic.

Officers approached the house with guns drawn, according to reports.

Sabulsky said they backed off because of the smoke rolling out, fearing a backflash if they opened the door.

Shortly before 5:15 p.m., the house was engulfed in flames, according to emergency reports. A chicken coop also was destroyed by fire.

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