Emergencies crews shut down traffic to West Bigelow Avenue in Plain City Tuesday morning after responding to a fatal house fire. When firefighters arrived, they found Ben Jenkins, 45, deceased at the scene. Officials said the fire is currently under investigation but did not appear suspicious. They also said the home did not have working smoke detectors.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Michael Williamson)
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A Plain City man is dead following a fire at a residence early Tuesday morning.
Around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, crews responded to a fire in the 300 block of West Bigelow Avenue, west of Friend Street.
When crews arrived, they found Ben Jenkins, 45, in the living room of the home.
“He was taken outside by our crews and there were several attempts to resuscitate him but were not successful,” said Fire Marshal Bryan Adams with the Pleasant Valley Fire District.
Adams said the fire was discovered in the kitchen area of the home.
The Madison County Coroner’s Office arrived shortly after and pronounced Jenkins deceased at the scene.
Coroner James Kaehr said the final autopsy report might not be complete for two to three months because of the time needed to complete toxicology and tissue analysis. That report will be needed in order to determine cause of death, Kaehr said.
“The cause of the fire itself remains under investigation by the fire service and the Plain City Police Department,” he said. “As the cause of the fire is directly tied to the manner of death, my timeline to determine manner of death will be dependent upon the time needed for these agencies to complete their investigations.”
The victim’s body was transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in Dayton for the autopsy.
While Adams emphasized that the fire is still under investigation, he did say at the time of the incident it “appears to be accidental” and that there was nothing immediately suspicious at the scene.
“There were no working smoke detectors in the home so we want to take this opportunity to remind residents how important those are. And we have them available at the fire department for free,” Adams said. “So we want residents to know there’s no reason not to get them and have them.”
Residents can stop into the firehouse or request smoke detectors from the department at fireprevention@pleasantvalleyfire.com or by calling 614-873-4067.
Pleasant Valley crews were assisted on the scene by the Jerome Township Division of Fire, Washington Township Fire Department, Norwich Township Fire Department, Marysville Fire Division and the Plain City Police Department.