Victim of Alliance fire identified, as probe continues

ALLIANCE − The Stark County Coroner's Office has released the name of the man who died Thursday in a fire at a home on South Arch Avenue while officials continue to search for the cause of the blaze.

Frank Rowan, 55, was pronounced dead at 3:37 p.m. at the scene, Stark County Coroner's Office Investigator Harry Campbell said.

Rowan's family has started a Go Fund Me account to help defray the cost of funeral expenses.

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Friday morning, the coroner's office conducted an exterior exam and carboxyhemoglobin test to determine the level of toxins in the victim's bloodstream.

Campbell explained that during a fire, chemicals are released and seep into the bloodstream. The chemicals reduce the capability of red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.

The test results will be sent out to be analyzed, he said, noting it will take some time to determine the cause of Rowan's death.

Alliance Fire Chief Justin Hunt said the department's fire investigator is working with the state Fire Marshal to determine the cause of the blaze.

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They are seeking the public's help to piece together what happened at the home before firefighters arrived. Anyone with information or security camera footage is asked to call Alliance Fire Inspector Guy Aumend at 330-821-1213.

Hunt noted the home was deemed unsafe and razed. With the amount of fire damage it will be difficult to determine the cause of the blaze, the chief said.

"It just wasn't safe for investigators or anybody to be in the structure," he said.

Initial reports suggested two homes in the 1300 block of South Arch Avenue were on fire, but Hunt said one home was fully engulfed when they arrived. The neighboring home was exposed to the fire, and firefighters attacked the blaze that Hunt said had extended into an exterior wall.

Two occupants of the first home had escaped to the roof and were helped down by neighbors as fire personnel arrived, he added. Neither was injured.

The occupants told first responders a third person failed to follow them onto the roof, but the severity of the blaze did not allow firefighters to enter the home.

"The fire ... was presenting in every window," Hunt said. "It just was not tenable to sustain life. There was just no way to make entry. We made the decision early to go defensive. It was fully involved."

The victim was found on the second floor.

Hunt said the home was a single-family home and the homeowner lived at the residence but he is not sure of the relationship of those living there.

Occupants of the neighboring duplex, who were displaced by the fire, were getting help from the American Red Cross, Hunt added.

Alliance recalled personnel for the fire and also had mutual aid from Sebring Fire Department.

Crews from Stark Fire Department Rehab Unit, Alliance Water Distribution, Columbia Gas and First Energy assisted at the scene.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @aknappINDE

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Victim of Alliance fire identified, as probe continues