Fire kills 75-year-old man near Ohio City

OHIO CITY - Careless smoking may be to blame for a fire that killed an elderly man near Ohio City early Tuesday morning.
From the outside of the house, it was difficult to tell anything was out of the ordinary. There were no charred remains, no smoking embers.
Officials in Van Wert County, however, said the scene at 14014 state Route 118 turned tragic early Tuesday morning. Firefighters were called to the residence just north of Ohio City at 3:26 a.m. on a report of a fire at the residence.
Officials with the Van Wert County Sheriff's Office said a man inside the home, James A. Bilimek, 75, died as a result of the fire. Bilimek's wife, Mary, was able to escape the house, a sheriff's office dispatcher said.
Van Wert County Coroner Dr. Scott Jarvis confirmed Bilimek died as a result of smoke inhalation. Bilimek was pronounced dead at Van Wert County Hospital, Jarvis said.
Hours after the fire, there was little activity at the house. The sheriff's office said the state fire marshal's office had been on the scene assisting with the investigation.
Shane Cartmill, a spokesman for the Division of State Fire Marshal, said investigators ruled the blaze accidental. Cartmill said careless smoking appears to be the cause of the fire, which will officially be listed as undetermined.
There was no evidence of foul play, Cartmill said.
There have been 115 fire fatalities in Ohio this year, including the blaze near Ohio City and another one Tuesday in Mahoning County, Cartmill said.
"It's a number we're concerned with," Cartmill said.