HAMILTON, Ohio — A Butler County Coroner has declared the cause of death of Ohio firefighter Patrick Wolterman, who was killed in an arson fire in December, as smoke inhalation.
Dayton Daily News reported the coroner has also officially ruled Wolterman’s death a homicide.
Autopsy results indicated the primary cause of death was smoke inhalation and contributing factors were carbon monoxide toxicity and thermal injuries. The state fire marshal confirmed that the fire was incendiary fire.
The fire occurred at 1:25 a.m. Dec. 28. The fire department was called after police responded to an alarm and found heavy smoke coming from the house.
Wolterman, who had only been with the Hamilton Fire Department for eight months, was fighting the fire on the first floor when the floor collapsed and he fell into the basement. According to the Hamilton fire report, Wolterman was handling a charged hose when the floor collapsed.
Police are still searching for the person responsible for setting the fire and are offering a $25,000 reward for information.