'Overly Obese' Body Sparks Fire At Ohio Crematory
CINCINNATI (AP/KDKA) - The owner of a Cincinnati crematory says flames from the cremation of an "overly obese" body spread outside a furnace when the fire got too hot in what he describes as a "freak accident."
Firefighters put out the blaze Tuesday night at Hillside Chapel Crematory. No one was hurt.
Owner Don Catchen tells WCPO-TV that fireproofing measures at the business limited the damage and the spread of the flames to one area, and no other bodies were affected.
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"My operator was in the process of cremating remains and [the body] was overly obese and apparently it got a little hotter than the unit is supposed to get," Catchen told the station. "One of the cremation containers that we had close got caught on fire and that's what burnt."
WLWT-TV reports that a vent pipe was damaged, and the flames spread to roof material and some cardboard boxes, creating an estimated $30,000 in damage.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
