Officials name victims of Galion house fire

GALION – Fire officials say a man and woman in their 70s died in a house fire overnight.

Officials say the fire broke out just before 1 a.m. Tuesday at the home at 561 Laughbaum Drive. Investigators discovered the bodies of a 78-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman in an upstairs bedroom of the home.

Charles "Phil" Longstreth, of Longstreth Memorials, and his friend Beth Mitchell died, Galion Fire Department confirmed.

Son-in-law Eric Santiago, of Newark, and his family arrived at the scene during the morning. Santiago said both Longstreth and Mitchell were smokers.

Santiago said Longstreth was still working in the 140-year-old family-operated business now owned by Sean Longstreth, who took over the business from Charles Longstreth and his brother, Lee, in 1997.

Fire officials said there were no smoke detectors in the home.

Crews say the home was completely engulfed in flames and is severely damaged.

Fire officials say the blaze appears to have started in a second-floor bedroom, but they are still working to determine the exact cause of the fire amid the damage.

The Bucyrus and Crestline fire departments provided mutual aid. The Galion Police Department, Crawford County Sheriff's Office and Crawford County chapter of the American Red Cross also responded to the scene.

The State Fire Marshal's Office was on scene earlier this morning.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.