Gujarat couple, daughter killed in fire at Ohio motel where they lived

The family locked themselves inside a bathroom at the motel in an attempt to escape the fire, but all there died of suffocation before they could be rescued.

In Short

• Fire broke out at a motel where Gujarat family lived, worked
• All three locked themselves in bathroom to escape flames
• Their bodies found after extended operation to douse fire

Three members of a family from Gujarat's Kheda died after a fire broke out at a motel in Ohio in the United States, where they had been living and working, according to information received by their relatives.

The victims were identified as Hiteshbhai Suthar, his wife Hinaben and their 20-year-old daughter Ishani. Originally from Nadiad in the Kheda district, the family had settled in Ohio's Wooster around two years ago.

The incident occurred at the Econo Lodge motel, where Hiteshbhai worked. The family was living at the property when the fire broke out at around 1.30 am local time. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames billowing from the motel's roof.

According to available information, the family was inside their room when the fire started. As flames spread through the building, they called the motel's front desk seeking help.

They were advised to turn on the water supply in the bathroom and remain there for safety. The family then locked themselves inside the bathroom in an attempt to escape the fire and smoke.

However, the blaze took time to bring under control and all three family members died of suspected suffocation before they could be rescued.

According to local reports, firefighters made several attempts to reach the people who were trapped. Images showed heavy damage to a back, detached section of the motel, which is about 96 kilometres south of Cleveland.

"We saw multiple units on fire, fire through the roof, made multiple rescue attempts, and unfortunately, those were unsuccessful, and there are confirmed three deceased occupants from the motel,” ABC News quoted a senior fire official as saying.

April Graser, a hotel employee who was working when the fire broke out. She said it started as a normal overnight shift until the alarms suddenly went off.

Narrating the moment of panic, a motel employee who received a call from the trapped family seeking help said he could hear them crying as they were unable to escape the room. He immediately called 911 and alerted emergency responders.

“He was begging me to get help because they were trapped in the building, they couldn't get out of their apartment, and I heard her crying, I heard them all screaming and crying," the staff April Graser said. "He told me, 'Please, please, April, please.' I said, I called 911,” he told News 5.

No one else was dead or injured in the incident. One firefighter suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze, local reports said.

Further details about the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the incident are awaited as authorities are investigating the matter.

- Ends
(With inputs from Hetali Shah in Kheda)