CINCINNATI — A 74-year-old man has died after the home he was in caught fire Wednesday morning, according to Cincinnati Assistant Fire Chief Matt Flagler.
Later Wednesday morning, the Hamilton County Coroner's Office identified the man as Leonard Koch.
Flagler told our crews on scene that at around 6:20 a.m., a Cincinnati police sergeant with District 3 spotted smoke coming from a home on Western Hills Avenue while on a routine patrol.
Firefighters then responded to the home in the 4900 block, near Glenway Avenue. When firefighters arrived, Flagler said the home's first and second floors were already burning.
"When they forced entry into this building, there was a lot of fire and smoke in the first and second floors," Flagler said.
As firefighters worked to battle the fire, they found a man on the home's first floor. Firefighters rescued the man and pulled him from the burning building; medics at the scene provided assistance, but Flagler said the man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Cincinnati firefighters worked for 40 minutes to put out the fire at the home, Flagler said.
No firefighters or emergency personnel were hurt during the operation; around 60 firefighters responded in all, Flagler said.
The fire and its cause remain under investigation, according to Flagler.
Traffic on Glenway was blocked while firefighters responded. Flagler said traffic is now clear.
