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2 men shot during party in Fairlawn
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A Dog Named Christmas – Pet for the Holidays
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Of pass interference and alleged "fake" injuries
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No. 1 Akron to play Stanford next
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Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
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Audio: Mangini disputes Poteat call, accuses Lions of faking injuries
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Flashes travel to Florida Atlantic
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Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
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Buckeye Football – Present and Future
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Gulley to visit Central Michigan in December
All Da King's Men:
The Onion, By Any Other Name…
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Glaring Contradictions
Akron Law Café:
Don't Try to Have Fun if you are Depressed
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Vintage Chic
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What Automotive Thing Are You Thankful For?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why I am Glad I live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009
A house fire in Medina early Monday killed a 7-year-old boy and sent his mother and four siblings to the hospital.
Tashawn Okoye, 7, died when a fire broke out in the second floor of a duplex in the 200 block of West Smith Road shortly after midnight.
Medina Police Sgt. Nathan Simpson was treated for smoke inhalation and burns and cuts to his hands in an attempt to rescue the boy.
Unable to pass through the stairway filled with smoke and flames, Simpson, a six-year veteran of the department, climbed a ladder and entered the home through a window on the second floor. He was unable to see in the heavy smoke and felt his way around the room before finding the child in his bed, police say.
Simpson handed the child out the window to waiting officers and neighbors, authorities said.
Second Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal Mark Crumley said the heavy fire and smoke was visible coming from the second floor of the structure when the fire department arrived on the scene two minutes after receiving a frantic 911 call from a passing motorist at 12:10 a.m.
The child's mother and four siblings escaped the flames through windows and were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation, Crumley said.
He said he did not know if anyone was living on the first floor of the duplex.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office were called in to establish a cause and origin of the fire, Crumley said. It is believed the fire started on the second floor, but no official cause will be released until laboratory results are available.
There is no evidence of foul play, he said.
Crumley said he saw one smoke detector laying on the floor in the building following the fire. He said although it had been mounted on the wall, it contained no batteries.
Medina County Coroner Neil Grabenstetter said an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
A house fire in Medina early Monday killed a 7-year-old boy and sent his mother and four siblings to the hospital.
Tashawn Okoye, 7, died when a fire broke out in the second floor of a duplex in the 200 block of West Smith Road shortly after midnight.
Medina Police Sgt. Nathan Simpson was treated for smoke inhalation and burns and cuts to his hands in an attempt to rescue the boy.
Unable to pass through the stairway filled with smoke and flames, Simpson, a six-year veteran of the department, climbed a ladder and entered the home through a window on the second floor. He was unable to see in the heavy smoke and felt his way around the room before finding the child in his bed, police say.
Simpson handed the child out the window to waiting officers and neighbors, authorities said.
Second Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal Mark Crumley said the heavy fire and smoke was visible coming from the second floor of the structure when the fire department arrived on the scene two minutes after receiving a frantic 911 call from a passing motorist at 12:10 a.m.
The child's mother and four siblings escaped the flames through windows and were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation, Crumley said.
He said he did not know if anyone was living on the first floor of the duplex.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office were called in to establish a cause and origin of the fire, Crumley said. It is believed the fire started on the second floor, but no official cause will be released until laboratory results are available.
There is no evidence of foul play, he said.
Crumley said he saw one smoke detector laying on the floor in the building following the fire. He said although it had been mounted on the wall, it contained no batteries.
Medina County Coroner Neil Grabenstetter said an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
