Jones, 62, of Hamilton, died of smoke inhalation, according to an autopsy conducted by the coroner’s office.
His death was ruled an accident.
UPDATE @ 11:40 a.m.:
Hamilton Fire Chief Mark Mercer told the Journal-News today that fatal fires are rare in the city, but they leave an impact on firefighters.
Especially one shift in particular, he said, that has now experienced three fatal fires in recent years.
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The shift of firefighters who responded to a fire early this morning and discovered one deceased victim is the same shift that responded to fatal fires in 2015 and 2014, Mercer said.
“There are a lot of (firefighters) who have had the same experience over time,” he said.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
The last fatal fire in Hamilton occurred in December 2015, according to Mercer, when firefighter Patrick Wolterman was killed fighting a blaze that was later determined to be arson. That fire broke out in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 2015.
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In 2014, three children died in an early morning fire at a home on Franklin Street.
Alex Flores-Ortiz, 7, and his sisters, Siclalia Flores-Ortiz, 10, and Yesenia Flores-Ortiz, 12, died in the early morning hours of Dec. 12, 2014, when fire tore through the two-story house in Hamilton.
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UPDATE @ 9:05 a.m.:
Hamilton Fire Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fatal fire early this morning.
The Hamilton Fire department was dispatched to a report of visible smoke at 3 Hampshire Court on Hamilton’s East side at 1:51 a.m. today, according to the fire department.
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When crews arrived, residents were evacuating the 12-unit garden style apartment building where smoke was visible inside and outside.
Fire crews stretched attack lines to a third floor apartment where the fire was visible through the window.
The fire was knocked down quickly, according to a press release from the fire department, and one victim was located in the third floor apartment.
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“Despite the best efforts of the fire department, the victim did not survive the fire,” according to the press release.
Additional engines from both Fairfield Twp. and Liberty Twp. were requested to assist with the fire.
FIRST REPORT:
A man is dead after an apartment fire in Hamilton Tuesday, according to our partners at WCPO.
Emergency crews responded to the scene of 3 Hampshire Ct. on reports of heavy smoke around 2 a.m.
Firefighters found a 62-year-old man dead in the living room of a third-floor apartment. Flames could be seen coming from the apartment.
The American Red Cross is assisting with four families who were displaced. Some families have children.
The cause of the fire is currently not known and is under investigation, according to Sgt. Jim Smith of the Hamilton Police Department.
It’s not yet known if there were any other injuries.
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