Nine Feared Dead in Kentucky House Fire
Nine family members are feared dead after an early-morning fire broke out in their home in Kentucky. Officials are still searching for the remains of four family members, but two members of the family were able to escape and have been hospitalized.
Eleven people, including nine children ranging in age from 4 to 15 all lived at the home. The children's father, Chad J. Watson and an 11-year-old child were severely burned and transported to a nearby hospital. One of the adults, possibly Larae Watson, and eight children were reported dead. Their conditions are unknown as of press time.
The fire was reported to responders at 2:00 a.m. this morning. By the time that officials were on the scene, the house was engulfed and the heat so intense that no emergency crews could get inside in order to perform a rescue. As a result of the fire, nine people are considered dead. Responders have only recovered five of the bodies; they are still searching for four more.
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The entire house was lost to the fire and most of the ground around the house was charred. Multiple agencies responded to the fire. Fortunately no other property was damaged in the neighborhood. Police are still trying to clean everything up and piece together exactly what happened. So far there is no suspicion of arson, even though officials have not determined an origin and cause of the blaze.
According to reports, this is the third fire in the Depoy area that has killed five or more people in just over one year. One year ago, four children under the age of 6, as well as their father, were killed in a fire and their mother was severely burned. In that case, the family home did not have a smoke detector. Then, in March 2013, another fire killed a young couple and five children.
The community has been hit hard by the loss of so many all at once and is struggling to come to terms with it, while offering prayers for the survivors.
