COLUMBUS, Ohio – A suspicious fire ripped through a three-story house near the Ohio State University campus early Sunday, killing five people and injuring three others, authorities said.
Firefighters found the bodies of some victims on the second floor of the house. One man was in critical condition and two women were being evaluated at OSU Medical Center, all with burns and smoke inhalation, spokesman Bob Fitzsimmons said.
Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries at Grant Medical Center and released, a nursing supervisor said.
Identities of the victims were not yet released.
Arson and police homicide detectives were investigating the three-alarm blaze, which was reported at about 4 a.m. in a neighborhood where many university students live.
"The cause has been ruled suspicious," Columbus fire spokeswoman Kelly McGuire said.
Some neighboring buildings were evacuated and a house next door was damaged. The damage to both structures was estimated at $200,000, McGuire said.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox