Site of fatal fire demolished
Mother, son died in early New Year’s blaze
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WARREN -- The house where a mother and son died in a Jan. 1 fire was demolished Tuesday.
The 2853 Woodland St. structure, heavily damaged by the New Year's Day fire, was leveled by Gibbs Construction of North Jackson.
Mark Gibbs Jr., who was knocking down the structure, said the company was contracted by Warren to remove the remainder of the house.
A state fire marshal's report issued last week stated the blaze that killed Cassandra Gray, 34, and Otto Gray, 5, may have started in a plastic tote on the back patio that contained ashes.
The mother and son, found in a second-floor bedroom, died of smoke inhalation, according to the fire marshal's report by Todd Stitt.
Lee Gray, 43, and Simon Gray, another son, managed to get out of the house. They were sleeping on the first floor when the fire occurred.
Lee Gray told investigators he opened the door to a rear sunroom and observed a wicker toy chest on fire next to the window. Gray said he then went to the second floor to alert his wife, who was sleeping in a bedroom with their other son.
He went back downstairs to get a fire extinguisher. He opened the door to the sunroom to try to put out the blaze and the fire extinguisher failed, he told investigators. The room was involved fully with fire.
An interview with Lee Gray revealed that ashes from the fireplace were in the blue tote, as well as cigarette butts from guests at a New Year's Eve party earlier in the evening.
"Examination of the wood decking showed a large portion of the decking consumed near and around the tote," Stitt wrote.
Lee Gray told investigators they had entertained people -- including relatives -- a few hours earlier celebrating the New Year, and several people may have dumped their cigarette ashes into the blue tote.
Lee Gray purchased the two-story wood-frame home in 2008 for $90,000, according to Trumbull County auditor records.
The Lee Gray Family Emergency and Memorial Fund collected $184,530 to assist the family. The GoFundMe account no longer is taking donations, according to its website.