Milan, OH : Fremont man, 21, dies in a four-vehicle crash on U.S. 250 in Erie County on Saturday afternoon, February 21, 2015

A Fremont man was killed when he lost control of his sport utility vehicle on the Ohio Turnpike east of Milan on Saturday afternoon and it was struck by two other passenger vehicles and a tractor-trailer, the Ohio Highway Patrol reported.

Jose Ramon Leal, Jr., 21, was eastbound about two miles east of the U.S. 250 interchange in Erie County, when he lost control and his vehicle slid into a guardrail along the right shoulder, then caromed back into the roadway where the other vehicles hit it, troopers from the patrol’s Milan post said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the 2:31 p.m. collision.

The turnpike’s eastbound lanes were closed for about three hours. Troopers said the roadway was slippery and wet from snowfall.

The crash was the most serious of traffic accidents reported across the region that were attributed at least partially to the snow during the morning. The snow cleared out in the afternoon.

At one point, crashes were so widespread that Toledo police limited their responses to only cases with injuries. Most area counties declared Level 1 snow advisories that urged motorists to use extra caution.

Early in the afternoon a spate of minor crashes between Perrysburg and Bowling Green occurred on southbound I-75, according to the patrol. Another minor crash occurred about the same time on northbound I-75, near Van Buren in Hancock County.

Toledo’s official snowfall at Toledo Express Airport, as of 5 p.m. Saturday, was 2 inches, which brought its month-to-date total to 24.4 inches. That’s the third biggest snowfall ever recorded in Toledo in February and only is 0.8 inch shy of the 25.2-inch record for the month set in 2011.

Snow showers were in the National Weather Service forecast for today, but little or no accumulation was expected.

Another blast of Arctic air also was to move into the region, with Monday’s record low temperature of -8 Fahrenheit, set in 1978, at risk of being broken.

Since last Sunday, Toledo has set two temperature records, including the -19 reading Friday morning that was its coldest February reading ever, and tied a third. Unusually cold weather is expected to continue at least through the end of this week.

Possibly linked to the weather on Saturday was a house fire on the Fulton-Lucas county line that put a family with children out of their home.

First responders were called to 5041 County Road 1 in Swancreek Township at 2:30 p.m. on the report of a chimney fire. When they arrived they saw smoke coming from the eaves.

The family was home at the time, burning wood in the fireplace, and called for help when they noticed light smoke coming from the second-floor walls, Swanton Fire Chief Howard Myers said.

He estimated $50,000 to $100,000 damage to the two-story home. It was built in 1995 and owned and occupied by Christopher Nijakowski, according to the Fulton County auditor’s website.

About 25 firefighters from Swanton, Delta, and Whitehouse responded. Their biggest challenge, according to the chief, was getting firefighters to the top of the house. The attic was not built to be walk-up and the fire was spreading through the attic and up into the roof, he said.

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UPDATED: Fremont man, 21, dies in Turnpike crash