Fatal fire in Florence Twp.

FLORENCE TWP. — A teenager died when a house caught fire in Florence Township on Sunday. Just after 7 a.m. Sunday, 911 dispatchers received a call for a structure fire in the 11400 block of Ohio 113 E. The caller told dispatchers she and her son had escaped but that a 15-year-old girl was still in the home. When firefighters from Florence Township Fire Department arrived, they encountered "heavy fire conditions," according to Chief Nick Halliwell. "We made an interior attack on the structure," he said. "We located the victim in the kitchen and removed her from the house." The girl, Rhianne C. King, 15, was deceased when firefighters located her, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office report. Her body was transported to Mercy Health in Lorain. An Erie County sheriff's deputy who arrived on scene made an attempt to locate King, but the house was fully engulfed. "As I approached the front door which was buckled in half due to the heat of the fire, I began calling out for Rhianne," deputy Joshua Miller said. Miller found a glass sliding door and attempted to locate King using his flashlight. "Due to the heavy smoke coming from inside, the visibility was zero and was unable to locate Rhianne," he said. Halliwell said the main body of the fire was under control in about 20 minutes. His last unit left the scene more than six hours after arriving. The fire's cause has not been determined, though a state fire marshal was called to investigate, according to Halliwell. He said it appeared as though the fire started in the living room. Two people who escaped the fire were transported to a Lorain hospital for smoke inhalation. One firefighter sustained a minor injury, Halliwell stated. King attended Firelands High School. Counselors will be available for any student who needs them, according to Catherine Keener, the school's principal. "This is indeed a terrible tragedy and we are all saddened by the news," Keener said. "My sympathies go out to (Rhianne's) family and friends as they cope with this tragic news." Ohio 113 East was closed between Cable and Main roads for just over two hours due to the fire. Crews from Berlin Township, Wakeman and Vermilion assisted with the fire.