COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Tuesday night house fire on the west side of the city has claimed one man’s life and police are investigating it as a homicide.
One person was found dead after a fire broke out at a home in the 100 block of South Princeton Avenue in Franklinton. Emergency crews arrived at the scene at 11:27 p.m. and the blaze under control 15 minutes later.
Once inside the home, crews found 31-year-old Robert O’Dell in an upstairs bedroom, which appeared to sustain damage from the fire, per the Franklin County Coroner’s Office. Officials do not believe any other residents were inside the home at the time of the fire.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Just before 3 a.m. the Columbus Homicide Unit received a search warrant for the home and investigators were seen taking photos in the upstairs bedroom just after 5 a.m. No other homes in the area sustained any damage.