64-year-old man, cat dead after house fire

TRENDING STORIES:

• 7 in custody after police chase in Montgomery County
• 1 hospitalized after shooting in Springfield
• Law expert says Buc-ee’s faces uphill battle in Beaver’s Mini Mart suit

The victim was identified as John Collins, according to police.

Firefighters rescued three additional cats from the home.

Lancaster Fire Department Chief Slade Schultz said the damage was concentrated on the right side of the front door.

Schultz said that fatal fires are among the most difficult calls that firefighters face.

“It’s always one of the worst types of calls that we will encounter as firefighters, and it’s been a tough year for our community, and they know that we’re out there for them 24/7, 365,” Schultz said.

In April, Lancaster fire crews responded to a house fire that killed three people, including a 9-month-old boy.

Ohio has already seen more fatal fires this year than during the past decade, according to Anita Metheny, Chief of the Fire Prevention Bureau for the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

According to the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, there were 126 fire fatalities in Ohio in 2025. Officials expect that number to be exceeded this year.

“A lot of our population are now on oxygen because of COVID. And a lot of that population that now is taking oxygen are still smokers, or they don’t even have to be smokers. They could have open flame in their house,” said Metheny.

The cause of the fire does not lessen its impact on firefighters, said Schutlz.

“These always kind of hit home for us,” Schultz said. “We know the community are big supporters of us, and it helps us get through that and helps us train harder and just make sure we’re that much better prepared for these kind of incidents, should something like this come up again.”

The fire is considered accidental, but investigators are working to determine what started it.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]