Fire at Wooster Econo Lodge kills three trapped in room

Vehicle Fire Wooster Ohio in Wooster, Ohio: A fire ripped through the Econo Lodge motel in Wooster, Ohio, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Wooster Township Fire Chief Dallas Terrell said flames were shooting through the motel's roof when firefighters arrived at around 1:30 a.m. A motel employee told WEWS-TV that a man who was trapped called the front desk saying they could not get out. Three people died inside the room; two of the deceased were motel employees. Firefighters made several attempts to reach the trapped occupants, and no one else was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.