DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A man dead after a house fire in the 100 block of Xenia Avenue on Wednesday has been identified.
The Montgomery County Coroner identified the victim as 50-year-old James Hall. On Wednesday, Jan. 19, Dayton Fire Department (DFD) crews were called to the scene of a two-story house fire on Xenia Avenue at 4:12 p.m.
District Chief David Wright reported that a man with a disability was trapped in the home and people were trying to help the victim out when crews arrived. Hall was rescued from the first floor of the home but he did not survive. DFD said a firefighter suffered a minor injury.
A 911 caller told dispatchers that people were attempting to get Hall, who was in a wheelchair, out of the home, but were unable to due to the smoke. The caller said he could be heard calling for help, she also said the ceiling could be seen falling in.
Wright said a total of four people lived in the house, but the other residents were not home at the time of the fire. Dayton Fire said flames spread through several sections of the second floor and attic, causing significant damage to the home. The residents have been displaced and Red Cross is helping them.
Dayton Fire Chief Jeff Lykins said investigators found that the home did not have working smoke detectors and the cause of the fire is under investigation. DFD investigators and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office are working to determine Hall’s cause of death.
According to the department, the fire is the second fire fatality in Dayton in 2022.
