DARKE COUNTY — One person is dead after a house fire in Darke County on Friday, according to Darke County Sheriff Mark Whittaker.
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The fire was reported around 12:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Zumbrum Road.
>>PHOTOS: 1 dead after fire in Darke County
Whittaker said when crews arrived on scene, they immediately called for extra help.
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“Heavy fire. Firefighters checked the inside of the house as part of the firefighting operation and discovered a deceased adult,” Whittaker said.
Crews think only one person was inside the home.
The victim was taken to the Darke County Coroner’s Office and then transported to Montgomery County for further testing.
It’s unclear where the fire started and what caused it.
“The Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office has a team of people here, as well as I have detectives and fire investigators, a number of deputies here,” Whittaker said.
Whittaker said he’s only aware of one big challenge firefighters faced.
“There’s no fire hydrants out in the middle of a farm field, so they have to shuttle a lot of water, and they work really hard, but it takes a lot of fire departments to get that done,” he said.
For hours, News Center 7 watched family and friends come by.
They didn’t want to talk, just be there for each other.
“This is a typical response. They’re going to come and they’re going to surround themselves around family and friends community members to support each other when we have a tragedy like this.”
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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