Fire rips through an Ohio motel, killing 3 who were trapped in a room

WOOSTER, Ohio (AP) — A fire at a motel in Ohio trapped residents in a room, killing three people inside, a fire official said.

Flames were shooting through the motel’s roof when firefighters arrived at around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Wooster Township Fire Chief Dallas Terrell.

A motel employee told WEWS-TV in Cleveland that a man who was trapped called the front desk, saying they could not get out. The employee said two of the people who died worked at the motel.

Firefighters made several attempts to reach the people who were trapped, the chief said. No one else was injured, he said, and the cause is under investigation.

Images showed heavy damage to a back, detached section of the Econo Lodge in Wooster, which is about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Cleveland.

The flames tore through the one-story area of the motel’s back building. Authorities said they went room-to-room, clearing out hotel guests in other parts of the motel.