Bedfordtimesregister.com - House fire claims life of Record-Courier reporter

Marci Piltz

RPC Photo / Mike Sever Record-Courier Reporter Marci Piltz and resident David R. Smith were both in this Randolph Township home at the time it burned down. Both died as a result of the blaze.

From staff reports

Randolph -- Investigators are still looking for the cause of a March 19 house fire in Randolph that left two people dead, including Record-Courier reporter Marci Piltz.

Ms. Piltz, 30, of Ravenna, the newspaper's police and courts reporter, was visiting the second victim, David R. Smith, 37, at his Aberagg Road house, when the fire broke out shortly before 3 p.m. She had left the Record-Courier about 1:30 p.m. and was expected to return. Ms. Piltz and Mr. Smith were longtime friends.

Investigators said late last week they have found no evidence of arson or foul play.

"We're running down leads, rumors and speculation. We're not finding anything that would indicate it was arson, or the fire was intentionally set," said Portage County Sheriff David Doak. "We're going to continue to investigate along with the state fire marshal."

No cause for the fire has been determined, but a spokesman for the State Fire Marshal's Office said the fire "started in a screened room off the back of the house."

Doak said investigating a fire scene can be difficult because intense flames often destroy potential evidence.

"We're going to have to just keep running down leads and do the best we can with everything, and that's what we're doing," he said.

The Summit County Medical Examiner's office said smoke inhalation was the cause of death for both victims.

Remembering a colleague

Condolences poured into the Record-Courier the day after the tragedy from co-workers, friends and people who had met Ms. Piltz through work and her personal life. The Kent State University graduate was the mother of two young sons, ages 9 and 5.

In a joint statement, Record-Courier Publisher David Dix and Editor Roger J. DiPaolo praised Ms. Piltz as "a true professional who set high standards for herself and took pride in doing her best."

Ms. Piltz worked for the paper for nearly eight years, most of that time as a reporter on one of the newspaper's most challenging assignments, the police and court beat, they said.

"In addition to being a co-worker, Marci was a friend and we will miss her. We join her family in mourning this tragic loss," they said.

Ms. Piltz was involved with the Portage County Safe Communities program, None Under 21, and also participated in Shop With A Cop holiday programs.

Details of the fire

The blaze, which was reported about 2:45 p.m., destroyed the one-story frame structure, reducing the rear half to charcoal. Todd M. Bartlett, who purchased the 50-year-old house in 2005 for $170,000 and shared it with Mr. Smith, was not home when the fire started.

When calls for assistance for a fire in Randolph sounded on the emergency scanner that sits on Ms. Piltz's desk, co-workers asked her whereabouts. As the Record-Courier police and courts reporter for more than six years, Ms. Piltz was known to many in the law enforcement community. She was usually among the first to respond to the scene of a crash or fire.

Bartlett called the newsroom, saying Ms. Piltz's car was in the driveway of the burning home. It was the first indication co-workers had that she was at the site.

Firefighters arrived at the house at 2:51 p.m. to find the rear of the house engulfed in flames.

Ms. Piltz, the daughter of a firefighter, was discovered in a bedroom near the front of the home. There were no flames blocking her from the nearest exit, located about 30 feet away.

"When something like this happens, you wonder why they couldn't get out of the residence. When a fire breaks out, sometimes people get in a panic," Doak said.

According to Randolph Fire Chief Mike Lang, Mr. Smith was discovered in the rear of the home near the fire's point of origin.

Randolph Assistant Fire Chief Diane Bunker said Ms. Piltz had suffered smoke inhalation. She went into cardiac arrest when the EMS crew was removing her from the site. She died enroute to Akron City Hospital.

Mr. Smith was "burned badly" and authorities had difficulty identifying the body, said Maj. Dale Kelly of the Portage County Sheriff's Department. Mr. Smith was later identified by his fingerprints.

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