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Three Dead After Fire in Steubenville

STEUBENVILLE — The Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office and the Steubenville Fire Department are investigating a blaze that took the lives of three people early Sunday.

Fire Chief Carlo Capaldi said firefighters arrived on the scene around 3 a.m. Sunday to find the house at 602 Linden Ave. in flames. Capaldi said one person was able to escape the fire, with that person taken to Trinity Medical Center West for treatment.

Capaldi said the bodies of a woman and two children, a boy age 10 and a girl age 6, were found inside. He declined to release the names of the victims, but Steubenville City Schools issued a press release stating the children are East Garfield Elementary student Amber Shope and Harding Middle School student Terry Richardson Jr.

Capaldi said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Two houses at 562 and 604 Linden Ave., located next to where the fire started, also suffered some fire damage, according to Capaldi.

The chief said the call came in as an entrapment and firefighters were preparing to enter the structure, but were forced to stay outside because of the intense flames.

Efforts to fight the fire were hampered when power lines fell on a vehicle, causing the vehicle to catch fire.

“We were fighting the fire in front of us, and a vehicle was on fire behind us,” Capaldi said.

American Electric Power officials were able to cut the power to the lines.

The state fire marshal’s office sent three investigators to the scene, the chief said.

It took two and a half hours to bring the fire under control. Capaldi said walls and ceilings on the two adjacent houses had to be torn down and the fire spread to the attics of both houses. The Weirton Fire Department staffed the downtown station and Wintersville Fire and Rescue came to the West End station, in addition to sending a truck to help supply water at the fire scene.

Capaldi said he can not remember the city having a triple fatality in one fire. He said he remembers a pair of double fatalities.

“It was a tragedy for the family and a bad day for the fire department,” Capaldi said.

Steubenville City Schools Superintendent Melinda Young said “it is a very sad day” for the school district in losing two of its students.

“The thoughts and prayers of the entire Steubenville City Schools community go out to the Shope and Richardson families. Amber and Terry will be greatly missed by the entire Steubenville City School family, especially their friends and staff members.”

Young said East Garfield Elementary and Harding Middle schools will provide grief counselors throughout the week to help students and staff members deal with the tragedy.

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