From Fire Chief Matthew Simmons:
On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, the Troy Fire Department, along with mutual aid departments, responded to 27 Westbrook Lane on the report of a house fire. The caller stated that a resident was still inside. The resident was pulled out within minutes of the call by one of our first arriving police officers and transported to UVMC by Troy Fire Department crews. The resident was later transferred to Miami Valley Hospital by Careflight.
Despite the efforts of emergency responders and medical staff, the resident ultimately succumbed to injuries sustained from the fire. We are thankful for the integrated mutual aid response of Miami County, which included Piqua, Covington, and Elizabeth Township Fire Departments, for their quick response and assistance.
At this time, we do not have an exact cause of the fatal fire, but fire investigators ruled out any obvious electrical or natural causes. Our local and state fire investigators found smoking materials and medical oxygen equipment at the scene. One of the leading causes of fire-related deaths in Ohio and across the country is smoking. The Troy Fire Department wants to remind all our residents of the risks associated with smoking and asks residents to remember that smoking around home oxygen is especially dangerous.
Our thoughts and prayers are for the family involved in this tragedy and for the first responders who responded.