By Tony Heitmeyer 

NEW MADISON MAN DIES IN HOUSE FIRE

DARKE COUNTY, Ohio - A man was pulled from a house fire Saturday afternoon in Darke County, but despite efforts of rescue crews, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire was reported at about 4:45 at 142 Jefferson Street in the Village of New Madison.

When the first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered smoke and flames coming from the residence, and immediately called a second alarm for mutual aid from neighboring departments. Fire crews entered the home searching for possible victims.

"During their primary search of the residence, firefighters located an adult male subject that they removed from the fire; he was declared deceased here at the scene," said Darke County Sheriff Mark Whittaker. "At this time, we're waiting for the State Fire Marshal's Office to respond, and Darke County Sheriff's detectives are going to conduct a joint investigation."

The State Fire Marshal's Office investigator was expected to arrive Saturday evening. Sheriff Whittaker said it was too early to know if the fire was considered suspicious.

According to Sheriff Whittaker, the victim was the lone resident of the home and was the only person in the house when the fire began. His name has not been released. Whittaker added that firefighters were able to "get inside and extinguish the fire and remove the victim fairly quickly upon arrival."

There were no other injuries reported. Sheriff Whittaker didn't know if the home had working smoke detectors.

The New Madison Volunteer Fire Department was assisted at the scene by crews from Tri-Village Rescue, Greenville Township, Arcanum, Liberty Township, the Darke County Sheriff's Office, and the Darke County Coroner's Office.