Man dies in house fire

VERMILION TWP. — A man was killed Thursday morning when his home on Darrow Road caught fire, according to the Erie County Sheriff's Office. The fire was reported shortly before 7 a.m. When a deputy arrived, a witness said a man was seen on the front porch attempting to escape the fire. The man's remains were found outside the home near the front porch. The deceased man's name and age has not been released by authorities. The fire, in the 14300 block of Darrow Road caused extensive damage to the single-family home. "A deputy responded along with the Vermilion Township Fire Department. Witnesses told the deputy about a man trying to escape from the fire. He was severely injured and his body was found outside the home," Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth said. Vermilion Township fire Chief Frank Triana confirmed that a witness, a neighbor or a passerby, said they saw the man running on the porch on fire. Nobody else was in the home when the fire started, Sigsworth said. An autopsy will be conducted, he said. The state fire marshal is investigating. "Our investigators were called out between 7-8 a.m.," said Jerrod Clay, from the fire marshal's office in Columbus. As of 1 p.m. Thursday, the investigators were still on the scene "working to determine what caused the fire," he said.