CARROLLTON, Ohio — An 18-year-old student at Carrollton High School is dead following a house fire that took place on Saturday evening.
Carrollton fire officials say Aidan McNutt died as a result of a fire that originated from the family's wood-burning stove. The family had returned to their home near the area of Andora and Rush streets and started a fire in the stove to heat the house at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Two hours later, Aidan's father discovered the smell of smoke in the basement and tried to evacuate his family out of the house. They yelled up to Aidan on the second floor to jump out of a window but never received a response. Aidan's mom tried to reenter the house to find her son and suffered a burn on her hand.
During a Monday briefing, Carrollton Fire Chief Shane Thomas stated that firefighters arrived at the burning house at approximately 11:59 p.m. "The fire was advanced to a level that we couldn't make entry," he told reporters. The blaze had to be extinguished from the perimeter of the house.
Aidan McNutt's body finally was found at 7:35 a.m. on Sunday morning.
"It's a devastating thing. For the parents, I can't even imagine. For our guys, it was a very tough day as well. It's just a hard thing for the whole community," Thomas added.
Thomas added that the State Fire Marshals Office had investigators on site, but were not able to determine exactly what happened with the wood-burning stove to trigger the fire. "Due to the level of destruction there, there's just no way to tell," he added.
The Carrollton Exempted Village Schools released the below statement following the death of Aidan McNutt:
"All of us at Carrollton Schools are saddened by the sudden passing of Aiden McNutt, a senior at CHS. He was a very outgoing student that was a member of the wrestling, track, and trap shooting teams. He was also in chamber chorus and academic challenge. He will certainly be missed by all that knew him, but we are all thankful for the great memories and stories that he left behind for us to cherish.
"The family asks that everyone please accept their request for privacy at this most difficult time and they are thankful for the prayers and support that they have received."
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