A man who died in an Easter Sunday house fire in Upper Arlington was identified as 43-year-old Matt Schmidt, a member of the Schmidt's Sausage Haus family.
Officials responded to a fire on Chevington Road at 4:29 a.m. Sunday. Upper Arlington officials announced in a statement Monday the fire has been preliminarily ruled accidental.
The city said in its statement that Schmidt was believed to have been sleeping in a four-season room at the back of the home, where investigators determined the fire started.
Schmidt was survived by three daughters and his wife, according to a post on Schmidt's Sausage Haus' Facebook page. The nearly 140-year-old German Village eatery and popular tourist destination said Schmidt worked as the restaurant's brand ambassador.
"Matt was above all a devoted and loving husband to his wife and father to his three young daughters. His magnetic personality, kindness and service to all he met, both personally and professionally, made him the face of Schmidt’s," the post said.
The restaurant said Schmidt was a fifth-generation family member helping run the historic restaurant.
"He was the best of us and lived out our values of family, hospitality and service every day of his life," the post said.
Schmidt appeared on WOSU Public Media's Columbus Neighborhoods show in 2024 to discuss the restaurant's history. Schmidt said he was most proud of the business' rich history, first as a packing house and then as a restaurant starting in 1967.
Schmidt said on the program the business prides itself on making it through difficult times, including a 1983 fire that damaged the restaurant.
"Anytime there's any kind of situation or problem, it's rising up, seeing how we can make ourselves better, get through it," Schmidt said.
The restaurant also shared a GoFundMe link to support Schmidt's family.
