Family mourns death of 72-year-old man in Champion house fire

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a house fire in Champion Township that claimed the life of one person and injured the police chief and a fire captain Wednesday morning.

Dispatchers received a call shortly after 7:30 a.m. reporting a fire at a two-story home in the 300 block of Aspen Drive NW. The caller stated that the residents had evacuated.

Firefighters from at least six departments responded to the scene, where flames had destroyed the home's roof and attic. 

While two residents escaped the house on their own, firefighters rescued a third occupant from the second floor.

The Trumbull County Coroner's Office confirmed with 21 News that one person was pronounced dead following the fire. That person has been identified by his family as 72-year-old Bob Antonelli.

Antonelli's granddaughters were on scene, distraught and being consoled by neighbors in front of the house. They told 21 News' Sydney Canty that it's devastating to see the home they grew up in, in ruins, and most of all, they just want their grandfather back. 

Neighbors said the situation was both shocking and terrifying and unlike anything they had ever seen before. 

"I heard my neighbor scream, and when I looked out my bedroom window, which faces their house, all I saw was a bunch of smoke. What are you supposed to say when your house is just burning down right in front of you and there's nothing you can do to stop it," Savanna Wright said. "It's traumatizing, I wouldn't wish it upon anybody, I feel so bad for their whole family," she said. 

According to the fire chief, Fire Captain Brandon Quiggle sustained second-degree burns on his face, neck, and chest, and Police Chief Larry Skaggs suffered from smoke inhalation. Both were transported to a hospital and are expected to recover.

21 News is working to learn the cause of the fire.