A portion of Marshall was closed for hours as more than two dozen safety vehicles responded shortly before 2 p.m. and area residents, friends and family of the victim gathered, watching anxiously as the scene unfolded.
The coroner’s office had been called and crews were operating under the assumption the victim, described as in his 30s was dead, said Bill Gaul, Washington Twp. fire chief.
A van believed to belong to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office was seen leaving the scene about 9:25 p.m.
The victim is described by a friend as a construction worker and the father a young child.
“We’re just hoping,” she said as firefighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies sought to locate him.
Safety forces from at least eight jurisdictions responded and Marshall was closed from Whipp Road to Stone Lake Drive. Aside from Washington Twp. efforts involved the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Brookville, Centerville, Kettering, the Miami Valley Fire District and Vandalia.
About 4:30 p.m., Gaul said all township resources were on scene except for one engine and an ambulance. Kettering was assisting with calls, and also had a public works truck helping to suction dirt as they moved it.
Paula Powlette of Whipp Road was home in the early afternoon when she heard the continuous sound of emergency vehicles in her neighborhood.
“I just heard fire truck after fire truck going by and I said ‘Man, that must be a big fire,’ ” she said.
Powlette said she was later told that a man was trapped in a trench.
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