"He was my buddy, talked everyday and called me, come up and see me, or do something and we were just together everyday...And I'm really going to miss him."
Those were the words Fred Welshhans used to describe his 17-year-old grandson, Justin, who died when a fire ripped through his home at 702 W. Southern Ave. in Columbiana, around 1 a.m. Saturday. Welshhans owned the home where his son and grandson lived and came out to find it fully engulfed in flames.
"George was sitting over there, and he said Justin didn't make it, Justin didn't make it," Welshhans said.
Justin's father George was the only other person inside the home at the time of the fire. He was taken to Salem Community Hospital and later Saint Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Sunday morning, Welshhans got some good news about his son from the hospital.
"They got a lot of soot and everything out of his lungs, but they like to do it two more times," he said.
The State Fire Marshal is looking into what caused the fire. Neighbors said they may have heard an explosion.
Welshhans said he thinks Justin tried to save his pets before he tried to get out of the home: "Justin loved his dogs, and he was behind George coming out, and he went back to get his two dogs, and the smoke got him."
Two dogs and a cat also died in the fire. The Welshhans's home is a total loss.
"I'm going to tear the place down, I don't want no more memories," Welshhans said.
Welshhans notified Justin's mother, who lives in West Virginia. The family is finalizing funeral arrangements for Justin.
