February 20, 1999
Fatal fire devastates Tiffin family
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Fire and police are continuing to investigate a Friday morning house fire that killed a Tiffin woman.
Police Det. Michael Marquis said a body found inside the house at 240 Riverside Drive was identified as Mary F. Zeller, 56. Her husband, Eugene, was at work at the time of the fire.
Fire Chief William Ennis said firefighters were called about 3 a.m. He said the rear of the house was fully engulfed in flames. Fire also had broken through the roof.
Ennis said the fire attack teams were able to get two hoselines into the house's front door, allowing two firefighters to search the structure for victims.
Inside, they found Mrs. Zeller's body.
She already had succumbed to the smoke and fire, Ennis said. It appears she had been sleeping when the fire started, he said.
Two dogs also perished in the fire, Ennis said.
Apparently, the fire started in the rear of the house at about floor level, he said. The fire's cause has not been determined.
''It had burned for quite a while before anybody saw it,'' Ennis said. ''A neighbor reported it. Actually, she reported hearing an explosion, and what she heard was the windows blowing out in the back of the house.''
Ennis said several other residents also reported the sound.
The back of the house from the basement to the roof sustained heavy fire damage, while the rest was damaged heavily by smoke with some fire damage, Ennis said. An insurance company will determine whether the house can be salvaged, he said.
All Tiffin's firefghters werecalled to the home, he said. Although one crew was available to respond to another call, they were all present in case they were needed.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries when he fell through the floor, but he was treated at the scene.
The state fire marshal's office and the Tiffin Police Department were also called to the house.
Firefighters left the house about 7 a.m., Ennis said, while the fire marshal's investigator stayed until about 10.