CORTLAND, Ohio (AP) -- Two unrelated house fires less than 20 miles apart killed six people, including 4-year-old twin boys, authorities said Thursday.
A woman and three sons, including the twins, died in a fire early Thursday in a house in Fowler Township near Cortland, about 50 miles southeast of Cleveland, the Trumbull County sheriff's office said.
About 17 miles to the south in Youngstown, Cybil Madden, 69, and Brian Christian, 62, died in a fire late Wednesday, Battalion Chief Tim McGarry said. Investigators did not yet know what started the fire, which caused about $10,000 in damage to the two-story home.
There was no connection between the fires, McGarry said.
The victims of the Thursday morning fire were Stephanie Vorce, 28; her 8-year-old son, Trent; and 4-year-olds Tyler and Taylor, authorities said. One firefighter was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Vorce's boyfriend, Mark Woodyard, escaped the burning home and sought help from his neighbors.
``I ran up the front steps and didn't even make it past the porch,'' said neighbor Jonathan Choleva, 20. ``There were flames pretty much everywhere.''
He said he and his wife had just come home from spending the evening at Vorce and Woodyard's home, celebrating the new year. He added the imaginative boys always included his 2-year-old daughter in play.
``They used to play on the trampoline all the time,'' he said.
