Fire marshal: Battery on charger likely sparked fatal Rock Falls fire

ROCK FALLS – While the cause of the fire that took the life of a Sterling firefighter in early December officially will be ruled undetermined, it likely was caused by a scooter battery left on a charger in the garage that ignited, Sterling police Deputy Chief Pat Bartel said.

The state fire marshal’s office has completed its investigation into the cause of the Dec. 3-4 fire in which Lt. Garrett Ramos died.

The state office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration now has four more months to finish its investigation and issue citations if violations of workplace safety and or health regulations are found, Paul Cicchini, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Labor, said in an email.

Ramos, 38, died after the floor beneath him collapsed while fighting the fire that began shortly before midnight at 10031 Ridge Road in rural Rock Falls. Firefighters rescued Ramos, and EMS crews attempted life-saving techniques en route to CGH Medical Center, where doctors continued life-saving efforts, but to no avail.

Ramos was the first Sterling firefighter killed in the line of duty. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.

Thirteen departments and a CGH EMS support unit responded to the fire, which destroyed the ranch home and everything in it, displacing a family of six.

Owners Jerold and Kathy Hall lived in the home with three other adults, including their daughter, Amy Manzo, and a child, Bartel said.

The fire broke out around 11 p.m. The family was home, but no one else was injured, Bartel said.

The Halls are the parents of Carrie Hose, 49, who was killed in the arson at Western Apartments, 908 W. Fourth St. in Sterling, on June 1, 2020, along with Celina Serrano, 13, and her cousin, Shayla Walker, 8, of Davenport.

Steven W. Coleman, 42, a longtime felon who was out on parole at the time, is charged with six counts of murder and four arson-related charges in the fire, which investigators said was the result of a drug deal that went awry.

Coleman is in Whiteside County jail on $1 million bond, facing 20 to 60 years, up to life on the most serious charges. He has a pretrial hearing Feb. 23.

The other recent fatal fire in the area broke out around 3 a.m. Sept. 27 in a two-story home in the 1400 block of Johnson Avenue, just south of Sterling High School.

Homeowner Timothy Aurand was trapped in a back bedroom and rescued, but died that day of his injuries. His wife, Terry, was severely injured.

Ramos was among seven firefighters, a dispatcher and two EMTs commended by the city of Sterling for their efforts that night.