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Sexual assault victim dies in Ohio house fire

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- A 10-year-old girl died in an early morning house fire hours before a man suspected of raping her was scheduled to go on trial Monday, a northeast Ohio prosecutor said.

A total of three people were reported dead by the Youngstown Fire Department after the blaze on the city's south side.

Neighbors said they heard what sounded like an explosion around the time the fire broke out, local media reported.

The fire's cause is under investigation, but there was no initial sign of anything criminal, Capt. Brad Blackburn, chief of detectives for the police, told The Vindicator.

Fire Chief John O'Neill told the newspaper firefighters who went to the scene encountered flames throughout the home. He said the extent of the fire in the basement indicated it might have started there.

O'Neill said the floors gave way and one firefighter got banged up when he fell between floors, though he was expected to be OK.

Fire officials didn't immediately release the names or ages of those who died.

Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains confirmed one was the young victim connected to a rape trial that was set for Monday. The trial was delayed. Gains said the defendant's bond was revoked as authorities investigate evidence that he tried to bribe someone.

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