By Krystal Smalley and Bob Strohm
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
The official cause of the Tiro fire that killed a father and his 2-year-old daughter remains undetermined though investigators have possible leads, according to the State Fire Marshal’s office.
Lindsey Burnworth, a spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal’s office, reported investigators believe possible causes of the fire to be an overloaded electrical outlet or combustibles close to the heater.
There were two smoke alarms in the home but neither contained batteries.
The house at 102 Water Street in Tiro caught fire on the morning of Oct. 3. First responders received the call at 8 a.m. Friday and found the fire burning in the first floor living room. Thirty-nine-year-old Mark Blunt was found deceased inside the home and 2-year-old MacKenzie Blunt was transported to Ohio Health Med-Central Hospital in Shelby with severe burns. She was declared deceased there.
A second child, 7-year-old Luke Blunt, escaped from the second story of the home with the help of the neighbors. He was treated at the Shelby hospital for minor injuries.