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Five injured in fire

WARREN – Two people suffered serious burns and three others smoke inhalation, the result of a fire at a six-unit apartment at 1500 Stewart Circle N.W.

Three people were initially taken to Trumbull Memorial Hospital and two to St. Joseph Health Center.

The two most severely injured people, who were in the apartment where the fire initially started, were flown from TMH to the burn unit at Akron Children’s Hospital, officials with the Warren Fire Department said. Names and ages of the victims were not released at press time.

Firefighters from the city’s Parkman Road and main fire stations responded at 7:09 p.m. They evacuated the building and had to dig through snow to reach a fire hydrant.

Witnesses said a man was carrying a woman from the apartment and flames were shooting from the building when firefighters arrived.

Ambulances from Med-Star and the Howland, Champion and Warren Township fire departments responded. Two ambulances remained on the scene until after firefighters extinguished the flames and conducted another sweep looking for victims.

Authorities remained on the scene boarding the building. None of the building’s residents were able to return home.

Sean Hodziewich, who lives across from the six-plex, described dark, billowing smoke shooting from the building.

“I could not tell where the smoke was coming from because it was covering more than half of the building,” he said. “I ran over to make sure everyone was OK.”

Donald and Lisa Yale, a maintenance man and building manager at the complex, said they were in their apartment when she heard yelling in the hallway.

“I opened the door and saw smoke,” Lisa Yale, who has just gotten out of her shower, said. “I yelled for my husband.”

Donald Yale, who had been watching television, began gathering their cats while she hurried to get dressed.

Firefighters came to their door hurrying the couple out of the house. Lisa still did not have her shoes.

“I saw fire going across the ceiling of the building,” Donald Yale described.

Several of the apartment residents expressed concern about pets that were still in the building

Apartment residents said the fire began in one of the apartments.

Assistant Fire Chief Dan Suttles said no cause has been identified for the fire. An investigation is underway.

rsmith@tribtoday.com

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