BY BERNIE MIXON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jammie Zienner
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BEAR BRANCH, Ind.
- Flames could be seen for miles around early Tuesday as fire swept through a 100-year-old brick home in rural Ohio County, killing a 15-year-old girl.
Five members of the Zienner family managed to escape the flames that claimed the life of Jammie Zienner, a sophomore and honor student at Rising Sun High School.
Investigators were still trying Tuesday to determine the cause of the fire at the two-story home at 4647 Mexico Ridge Road, about 12 miles west of Rising Sun.
"You could see the redness in the sky from here," said Bear Branch Fire Chief Harry Althoff. "It was in a secluded spot. When we got there, the whole top section of the home was on fire."
Chief Althoff said the call came to his station about midnight. Because of the remoteness of the area, it took firefighters about 15 minutes to get to the scene. About 10 minutes later, the roof collapsed.
James Zienner and his family were in bed at the time of the blaze. Mr. Zienner heard the smoke detector go off and with his son, Jimmy Zienner, 17, tried to fight the fire.
Investigators credited them with ushering the family out of the home. Jimmy saved his two younger brothers - Jacob, 13, and Joel, 11, when all three jumped from a second-floor window.
Jimmy then went to a neighbor's home to call the fire department. Meanwhile, Mr. Zienner saved his 8-year-old daughter, Jesse, by lowering her out of a window. He tried to save Jammie but was unable because of the flames.
"He just couldn't get to that little girl," Chief Althoff said. "It was too hot.'
