June 28, 2001
Fatal fire in New Riegel
By Ryan Good
Staff Writer
NEW RIEGEL -- One person was killed in a fire that destroyed the Edmund Morman Hall Tuesday.
Fourteen fire departments -- including every department in Seneca County -- and other emergency workers were called to the church at about 4:20 p.m. The name of the victim was not released while authorities try to notify the family.
"Our people went in and found him," said Dave Staib, a New Riegel firefighter about finding the victim.
The blaze started in the back of the church.
"The fire started in the laundry room," Staib said.
"This structure has a lot of rooms that are only eight by ten. We wanted to keep it contained and let it burn itself out," Staib said.
The cause of the fire was undetermined.
"We don't know if it was set on fire," said Sheriff Tom Steyer.
"I couldn't say at this time," Staib said.
Local authorities are to be working with the state fire marshal's office to determine the cause of the fire.
Because there is no municipal water system, water had to be hauled in by tanker trucks and drained from local ponds.
"It's a hardship," said Duane Alt, another New Riegel firefighter.
The building was most recently being used as a group home for mentally disabled adults.
The Red Cross is making arrangements for the residents.
"I can't see it, but the impact of knowing what it is like to be there will remain with me," said Jeffrey Cross, a blind man from Findlay who lived there for six years.
The building known as the convent was built as the original Mother House for the Sisters of the Precious Blood in the 1870s. The sisters lived there until the mid-1970s, when the convent was closed and the sisters moved to Dayton.
"I'd say they ought to knock it down soon. It's a damn shame, it was a nice building," said Jeff Clouse, the son of Herman "Shorty" Clouse, the owner of the building.
One person was taken into custody by Seneca County Sheriff's deputies for getting in the way of firefighters, but he isn't a suspect in the investigation, Steyer said.
"He was causing a problem," he added.
The worst of the fire came at about 6 p.m. when a rain storm passed through the area. As the winds increased, the fire spread and eventually engulfed the roof and the steeple.
On resident was shaken up by the fire.
"I think it's sad. It's a landmark," said Annette Eyer. "We cleaned that building as kids when the sisters were there.
"I watched the steeple go from my bedroom window. I saw the blaze go up. It shot straight up in the sky," she added.
Firefighters in ladder trucks came down as the storm blew through and lightning struck around the scene.
Firefighters worked into the night to contain smaller hot spots in the fire. Aside from the fatality, there were no other injuries reported, said Dan Stahl, adminstrator of the Seneca County Department of Public Safety.