Ohio: Three members of a family from Gujarat’s Kheda district died after a fire broke out at a motel in Ohio, USA, where they had been living and working, according to information received by their relatives.
The victims have been identified as Hiteshkumar Suthar, his wife Hinaben, and their 20-year-old daughter Isha. Originally from Nadiad in Kheda district, the family had settled in Wooster, Ohio, around two years ago.
The fire broke out at the Econo Lodge motel in Wooster Township at around 1.30 am local time, where Hiteshkumar worked and the family lived on the property. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames shooting through the motel’s roof.
According to information received by relatives, the family was inside their room when the fire started. As flames spread through the building, they called the motel’s front desk seeking help and were advised to turn on the water supply in the bathroom and remain there for safety. The family reportedly locked themselves inside the bathroom in an attempt to escape the fire and smoke. However, the blaze took time to bring under control, and all three died of suspected suffocation before they could be rescued.
Firefighters made several attempts to reach the trapped occupants. Images showed heavy damage to a detached back section of the motel, located about 96 kilometres south of Cleveland.
“We saw multiple units on fire, fire through the roof, made multiple rescue attempts, and unfortunately, those were unsuccessful, and there are confirmed three deceased occupants from the motel,” a senior fire official told ABC News.
A motel employee who received a call from the family as they tried to escape said he could hear them crying and screaming, unable to get out of the room. “He was begging me to get help because they were trapped in the building, they couldn’t get out of their apartment, and I heard her crying, I heard them all screaming and crying,” the employee said. “He told me, ‘Please, please, April, please.’ I said, I called 911.” He immediately alerted emergency responders. April Graser, another hotel employee on shift when the fire broke out, said it started as a normal overnight shift before the alarms suddenly went off.
No one else died or was injured in the incident. One firefighter sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze, local reports said. Further details about the cause of the fire are awaited as authorities investigate.