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Second man dies from injuries following January house fire in Fairfax

The first victim died days following the fire.
Fairfax Fire.JPG
Posted at 11:39 AM, Mar 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-02 12:22:18-05

FAIRFAX, Ohio — A second man has died from injuries he suffered in a January house fire in Fairfax.

The Hamilton County Coroner's Office said Ron Wood, 75, from Watterson Road died Tuesday.

A fire broke out around 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 at a two-story house on Watterson Road. According to crews on the scene at the time, at least three people were sent to the University of Cincinnati Medical center with serious injuries.

Another man, Thomas Wood, 71, died days later on Jan. 24.

Bodycam footage from the Fairfax Police Department taken at the time of the fire showed a police officer arriving at the home, and then running to the back searching for another officer. The officer was on the ground after attempting to rescue people from the home. A woman was pulled from a window by two officers, while one of the officers said there was still one person in the back room. According to a statement Fairfax police released with the video, the officer wearing the bodycam was from Fairfax while two other officers who were on the scene were from Mariemont.

You can watch the full video in the player above.

"There's still someone in the house, but we can not go in there," one of the officers said, as he coughed from smoke inhalation.

At least six departments responded, including Little Miami, Mariemont, Norwood, Deer Park Silverton, Anderson Township and Sycamore. When crews arrived, heavy flames were visible from the front of the home. It took firefighters an hour to extinguish the fire.

"Obviously, when there are three victims pulled out of a fire it takes three ambulances to take them to the hospital," Anderson Township Fire Department Battalion Chief Sean Smith said. "It was a manpower intensive fire. There was a lot going on right away."

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

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