A Hamilton firefighter was killed while battling a house fire Monday morning.
Multiple fire departments responded to the fire in the 1300 block of Pater Avenue around 1:11 a.m., according to Butler County dispatch. Heavy smoke was visible when fire crews arrived at the scene, according to a release from the Hamilton Fire Department.
Firefighters entered the home when they were told someone could be inside. Shortly after, a "mayday" call sounded, indicating a firefighter was down. Hamilton firefighters performed life saving measures while en route to Fort Hamilton hospital, where the firefighter died.
Melissa Lainhart, 43, whose parents own the house, said no one was home when the fire broke out. Her parents, Bertha and Lester Parker, are in Las Vegas celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary.
Lainhart believes the firefighter fell through the dining room floor to the basement.
The family has owned the home since the 1950s, Lainhart said. Her father was raised there and so was she.
"There are so many memories there. Thank God no one was home," she said. "There could have been three lives lost. I'm so sorry for the firefighter's family. He is definitely in our prayers."