In this photo, taken from video, a firefighter emerges from the charred remains of the Econo Lodge in Wooster, Ohio
A flash fire broke out at a hotel in Ohio in the early hours of Wednesday morning, killing three people of Indian origin who were trapped inside a room.Flames were already burning through the roof when firefighters arrived at the Econo Lodge in Wooster Township at about 1:30 a.m., according to fire officials.
Emergency calls warned that people were still inside and unable to escape.The Wayne County Coroner’s Office later identified the victims as Hitchkumar Suthar, Henaben Suthar, and Isha Suthar. All three were adults, although their ages were not revealed.Firefighters described their arrival in harsh conditions, with intense fire spreading throughout the building. Crews immediately tried to reach those trapped inside, Worcester Township Fire Chief Dallas Terrell said.“On the way, dispatch told us there were people on 911 saying they were trapped in the building,” Chief Terrell said. “Our first engine arrived on scene with heavy flames through the ceiling and made several rescue attempts to try to reach the people in that room. The efforts were unsuccessful.”The fire quickly escalated and was classified as a fifth-degree accident due to its size. About 15 fire departments and about 70 firefighters were called to help control the fire.
Chief Terrell said the fire was under control about an hour after crews arrived on the scene. Authorities later confirmed that no other guests were injured, as firefighters moved from room to room evacuating people from other parts of the hotel.Investigators from the Worcester Township Fire Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are now working to determine the cause of the fire.
Officials did not say whether foul play was suspected.A hotel worker said one of the trapped guests called the front desk for help. The employee also said that two of the people who died worked at the hotel.“This is a terrible tragedy, and we are deeply sorry for their loss,” Chief Terrell said.The fire also affected others nearby. A man named Tim, who was staying at the hotel, said he woke up to chaos as the fire spread.He said: “I woke up two hours later to flames, smoke and people screaming.” “I looked out the window and saw it was getting very close to my car, so I moved the car and the rest of the building went up very quickly.”Photos from the scene showed extensive damage to a separate section at the back of the one-story hotel, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland.
