Man injured in Fostoria garage explosion passed away early Friday morning

FOSTORIA | Family of the victim Sheana Pace & Vonda Hall posted on Facebook that Jim Pace passed away early Friday morning at 1:57am.

Police and fire crews were dispatched to a home in the 400 block of South Wood Street in Fostoria shortly after 4 p.m Thursday afternoon, on reports of a potential home explosion.

Upon arrival, crews found a detached garage on fire with a 75-year-old man still inside.

First responders administered aid to the man before taking him to a local trauma center, WTOL-11 reported.

Heiserman told WTOL-11 she called 911 and then went to help her neighbor, who was still alert.

“He asked me to take his shoes off for him, so yeah, he was burned bad,” Heiserman said.

Fire crews were able to “easily” suppress the fire, and damage was contained to the garage, WTOL-11 reported.

No other injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but the Fostoria Fire Division’s chief believed it was partially due to “human error”, WTOL-11 reported.

The fire remains under investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal.