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An 11-year-old Ohio boy was found locked inside a dog cage after a house fire early Monday, prompting an investigation by police and child welfare officials.
Emergency crews responded to the blaze at a Youngstown home on Forest View Drive around 12:30 a.m., where three people who had escaped the fire were waiting outside. Firefighters then discovered and rescued the 11-year-old from inside a dog cage. A witness told Fox 8 News the cage appeared to have three locks on it.
The boy survived the fire and is receiving care through Mahoning County Children Services, according to the outlet.
As investigators work to determine what happened, the child's father, identified only as Frank, says the situation has been misunderstood and is pleading for the chance to explain.
“If they ask me anything, I’ll tell them anything. I don’t care what they want to know,” Frank told WKBN Tuesday.
Frank said the cage was intended for a dog, but claimed his 11-year-old son sometimes climbed inside it to play. He said that is what happened Monday when the fire broke out inside the home.
“He went into the cage. He locked himself in there, and now I’m panicking. I have the problem here. I walk outside. I see smoke in the hallway. I move the curtain immediately. Black smoke in my face. I can’t breathe,” he recalled.
Frank said he initially tried to free his son using only his bare hands because there was nothing in the room to unlock the cage. He said he injured himself while attempting to force it open before a neighbor rushed over with a knife, allowing him to cut through the cage and free the boy.
“And I bust the cage completely open. I pick my son up, and I say, ‘I’m so sorry, but you have to go now,'” Frank said.
Frank said he was the last person to escape the burning home because of ongoing health issues that slowed him down.
He also said both of his children have since been placed in the custody of Children Services while the agency, as well as Youngstown police and fire departments, investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire and the child's confinement in the cage.
Frank has a shelter care hearing Wednesday at 3 p.m. where he could learn more about the next steps in the case.
“I don’t want to lose my children. You understand me? My children are my life,” he told WKBN.
Richard Tvaroch, Mahoning County Children Services' Executive Director, told The Independent Wednesday: "Because there is an open and active investigation, the Agency is unable to comment on the specific details of this case at this time. We take every report seriously and are committed to protecting the needs and rights of the children and families involved.”
The Independent has contacted Youngstown police and fire departments, as well as Mahoning County Children Services, for comment.
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