A woman and a young girl are dead following an early morning arson fire at a house in Mayfield Heights, the fire chief confirms.
The fire started overnight in a house in the 1500 block of Longwood Road.
Fire Chief Bruce Elliott said the deceased are a woman and a child. Fire officials said the child, identified by the medical examiner's office as Olivia Schneider, 8, was located on the second floor and was taken to a Hillcrest Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The woman was found on the first floor, but it's unclear if the woman was killed in the fire.
Elliott said the fire has been ruled an arson, and they are still investigating the cause of death of the two victims.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the State Fire Marshal were called to the scene.
The woman was identified as Rebecca Pletnewski of Mayfield Heights by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.
The child's identity has not yet been released by the medical examiner, but Mayfield City Schools confirmed the girl who died was a third grader at Lander Elementary.
The district sent the following message to members of the Mayfield Heights community:
It is with a heavy heart we report to you that a house fire early this morning in Mayfield Heights claimed the life of a female student who was in the third-grade at Lander Elementary.
Police have confirmed an adult female also died at the home on Longwood Road. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Counselors from Mayfield middle and high schools are at the elementary school today for students and staff who seek counseling. The district begins Thanksgiving Break tomorrow but counselors will be available at Lander Elementary from 8 a.m – Noon.
Our prayers and thoughts are with the family, friends, teachers, staff and neighbors affected by this tragedy.
Police put a man in the cruiser to take him in for questioning. He is not under arrest, police say.
Stay with News 5 Cleveland for more on this developing story.
