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Father dies in house fire despite 'heroic' effort
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - January 20, 2011)
Father dies in house fire despite 'heroic' effort
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Despite efforts of firefighters and family, a man lost his life last week in a morning fire in Munson Township.
The fire claimed the life of David Behr, 46, who died in the blaze that struck at about 1:30 a.m. Jan. 12 at 12356 Ravenna Road (Route 44), according to Geauga County Coroner's Office investigator Gregg Boyles. The preliminary cause was carbon-monoxide asphyxiation and thermal injuries, he said.
Munson Assistant Fire Chief Mark Lynn said a 15-year-old boy was able to get his mother, a brother and sister out safely.
Fire Chief Bernie Harchar said the boy's efforts in the ordeal were nothing short of heroic. "He was a hero," Mr. Harchar said. "He made a gallant effort. He got the family out. He did everything he could have."
Mr. Harchar said it was the 15-year-old boy who first alerted the family to the fire.
The boy was on the telephone in the early morning hours and smelled smoke, Mr. Harchar said. He ran down to the basement, where Mr. Behr was sleeping in a bedroom but could not make his way past the growing flames that surrounded the room. He then returned upstairs to awaken the family and get them out safely, he said.
Mr. Lynn said the fire had started just outside the door to the bedroom.
Firefighters were hampered in their efforts almost from the start as heavy snow fell across the area, Mr. Harchar said. He said firetrucks had to make their way seven miles to the fire on roads that had yet to be plowed. Despite that obstacle, firefighters were on the scene in seven minutes, he said.
Firefighters made repeated efforts to enter the home and get to Mr. Behr but were turned back by the fire, he said.
Mr. Harchar said firefighters had to retreat after making their way into the first floor of the home, as the floorboards had been eaten away by the fire and were collapsing. A 4-by-7-foot hole in the floorboards greeted firefighters at the entrance of the doorway, he said.
They made repeated efforts to get into the basement area, he said.
Mr. Lynn said, when firefighters were able to break a hole into the basement wall and enter, their efforts were repelled by heat from the fire that was in excess of 1,000 degrees. Helmets, face shields, emergency beacons and flashlights that firefighters use melted in the intense heat, he said.
Mr. Harchar said basement fires are among the worst, because cinder blocks hold the heat, creating a furnace of sorts.
Attempting to locate the victim was hampered by zero visibility, he said.
The fire was brought under control shortly after 4 a.m., Mr. Harchar said.
The Geauga County Fire Investigation Unit and the Ohio Fire Marshal's Office were called in to investigate the cause, Mr. Harchar said.
Fire departments from Russell, Kirtland, Burton, Newbury, Chardon, Chester and Hambden provided assistance.
Geauga County Sheriff's Department deputies closed the northbound lanes of Ravenna Road until after 9 a.m.
Mr. Harchar said credit also must be given to the staff at Geauga Medical Center in Claridon, where the survivors were taken for treatment of minor injuries. He said staff provided comfort for the family in a trying time.
"They tried to be a good neighbor, because that's what Geauga Hospital does," Mr. Harchar said. "Being a community hospital means something to them."
Chardon Middle School, where two of the children attend, is taking donations for the family, which lost all of belongings. To donate money or gift cards, call the school at (440) 285-4062.
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