Woman dies in overnight Edgerton fire

EDGERTON, Ohio (WNWO) — An overnight fire has shocked the small community of Edgerton, as a woman has died.

According to their fire department, the death is unprecedented.

"I've been on 47 years, and this is the first fatality I'm aware of in our fire district."

Edgerton Fire Chief Scott Blue says his department got the call just before midnight.

The home was just two blocks from their station, but when they arrived, it was too late for a woman inside.

Blue confirmed a young family lived here, which included an engaged couple in their 20s and a two-year-old.

The man and little boy escaped, and knocked on their neighbor's door.

They both went to the hospital, and the child ended up in Ann Arbor.

"The house next door, where the victims went to seek shelter and help, is actually occupied by one of my fire captains, so he was on scene at the same time I was, but we didn't have a fire truck with us," said Blue.

Because of the frigid temperatures, two hydrants were unusable.

Chief Blue says that did not contribute to the woman's death, but it did affect how much of the home was damaged.

"The issue with the hydrants is that it rained Wednesday and then the quick freeze Thursday into Friday. It's just one of them terrible things."

With a volunteer fire department, and a population of just 2,000, the victim was well-known in the community.

"The guy operating the first truck on the scene was this young lady's boss. She was his office manager at a business in Bryan. The guy running the second truck on the scene is a second or third cousin of the man that was injured in the home," said Blue.

The loss is already having a big impact on the chief and his entire department.

"I'd like to say they're tough, but we all just keep it inside."

The victim has not been identified at this time.