6 killed, including 4 children, in Indiana house fire

Six people, including four children, died early Wednesday after a house fire broke out in Logansport, Indiana.

 

Here are the latest updates:

Update 1:40 p.m. EST Nov. 28: Officers with Indiana State Police said Thursday that a preliminary investigation found no indication that a house fire that killed six family members Wednesday in Indiana was intentionally set.

Authorities identified the people killed in the fire as Joseph Huddleston, 42; Brandi Vail, 25; Kadee Huddleston, 10; Swayzee Hite, 3; Rhylie Hite, 1; and 3-month old Marshall Hite. Police said Joseph Huddleston was Kadee Huddleston’s father. Brandi Vail was identified as Joseph Huddleston’s stepdaughter and the mother of the younger victims.

Authorities found two other family members, identified as Joseph Huddleston’s wife, 43-year-old Shelia Huddleston, and his son, 19-year-old Brandon Huddleston, outside the burning home just before 2 a.m. Wednesday. Officials said the pair was taken by ambulance to Logansport Memorial Hospital for treatment of their injuries, which did not appear to be life-threatening.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Update 7:13 a.m. EST Nov. 28: WTTV's Angela Brauer is reporting that the deadly blaze is "being investigated as a possible criminal case" and ammunition may have been fired inside the home.

The children who died in the fire ranged in age from 2 months to 10 years, Brauer tweeted.

The survivors were a mother and her adult son, Brauer reported.

Read more here.

 

Original report: Six people, including four children, are dead after a house fire broke out early Wednesday in Logansport, Indiana, multiple news outlets are reporting.

According to WTTV and Pharos-Tribune reporter Mitchell Kirk, two other adults were injured and hospitalized after the blaze, which was reported shortly before 2 a.m. The extent of their injuries is unclear. Firefighters weren't able to save the six others trapped inside.

Cass County Fire Lt. Steve Krispen told WTTV that the Pottawatomie Road home "was 80 percent involved with heavy fire" when authorities arrived.

“It’s pretty numbing when initial dispatch is telling us people are entrapped in the structure, and they’re saying multiple people,” he said.

A Cass County sheriff's deputy "did not hear smoke alarms" when he arrived at the scene, Kirk tweeted.

WTTV reported that the home was "in a rural, non-hydrated area," which made it challenging to fight.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire. Officials likely won’t be able to recover the remains until daytime, Krispen said.

Read more here.

 

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