Woman dead, 3 children injured in Marion fi re

There were no working smoke detectors in a Marion house where fire early Thursday killed a 61-year-old woman and injured six of seven other family members who resided there.

Nancy Harper, 61, was found unresponsive in a hallway at a home on the 100 block of East Fairground Street and was later pronounced dead at Marion General Hospital, Marion Fire Captain Wade M. Ralph said in a news release.

A 4-year-old boy was also unresponsive when firefighters took him out of a bedroom.

He was taken to Marion General and then flown by medical helicopter to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, where he was listed in critical condition.

Two other children were also transported to Nationwide Children’s for treatment for smoke inhalation. The mother of the children was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where she also was treated for smoke inhalation.

Two other adults were treated at Marion General Hospital.

Smoke and fire were pouring out of the back of the house on the first floor and a man was trapped on the roof when firefighters arrived four minutes after the blaze was reported at 1 a.m., Ralph said.

Neighbors managed to get several children out of the home through the windows before fire crews arrived. Firefighters rescued the man from the roof, Ralph said. The house was a total loss. The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen, but the cause hasn’t been determined. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.

Dispatch reporter Jim Woods contributed to this report.