WILLIARD, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—A firefighter from the Tri-Community Joint Fire Department tragically lost his life while responding to a house fire on Wednesday night in Willard.
The Huron County Coroner’s Office has identified the fallen hero as 41-year-old John Saunders.
The fire erupted in the 700 block of U.S. Route 224, close to the intersection with New State Road South.
Emergency services received a 911 call shortly after 10 p.m Wednesday evening reporting smoke billowing from the roof of the residence and garage. At the time, the homeowners were not present.
According to the coroner’s office, Saunders was later discovered in the basement of the home. The exact cause of his death has not yet been officially determined.
Meanwhile, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Authorities from the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Fire and Explosion Investigations Bureau, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Huron County Sheriff’s Office are actively investigating.