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Friends and neighbors place flowers at the home of Vickie Schumm on Wednesday afternoon in Montezuma. Schumm was pronounced dead at the scene on Tuesday night.
CELINA - Firefighters have identified the victim of a fatal residential fire on Tuesday night as 65-year-old Vickie J. Schumm.
The Montezuma Fire Department was called to a structure fire at 8583 State Route 219 Lot B17 at 8:57 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release issued Wednesday by Montezuma Fire Chief Lee Braun.
The 10-by-20-foot structure was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on scene and the roof had collapsed. Braun on Tuesday night said the fire was under control within 20 minutes.
"Once the fire was under control, it was learned that there was a victim inside the structure that did not make it out," the release reads.
Schumm's next of kin was notified by the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. Braun on Tuesday night said there was only one occupant in the building at the time of the fire.
The State Fire Marshal's Office was contacted and two investigators responded to assist in the investigation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire marshal's office.
The Montezuma Fire Department was assisted by the Coldwater and St. Marys Township fire departments, Coldwater EMS and the Mercer County Sheriff's Office.
What remains of a 10-by-20-foot structure at 8583 State Route 219 sits in ruins after a fatal fire destroyed the building on Tuesday night.
A wood-burning furnace sits among the burnt remnants of a 10-by-20-foot structure at 8583 State Route 219 after a fatal fire destroyed the building on Tuesday night.
Pictures from the scene taken Wednesday show a wood-burning stove inside the skeleton of the structure and a utility hookup nearby. Several passersby left flowers at the site.
A wooden trailer that appeared to have a load of firewood and another nearby structure full of firewood were located next to the remains of the building. More firewood was piled near a trailer less than 20 feet from the structure. The neighboring trailer sustained siding damage.
While it wasn't immediately clear what material the structure was made of, it appeared that at least some of the siding and some structural beams were made of wood.
Personal belongings lay among the burnt remnants of a 10-by-20-foot structure at 8583 State Route 219 after a fatal fire destroyed the building on Tuesday night.
The remains of a chair sit among the burnt remnants of a 10-by-20-foot structure at 8583 State Route 219 after a fatal fire destroyed the building on Tuesday night.
