2 Adults, 2 Children Killed in West Virginia House Fire

ELKVIEW, W.Va.-- Four people are confirmed dead in a house fire this morning in Kanawha County, Pinch Volunteer Fire Chief Sonny Wagoner said.

The house in Elkview on Cemetery Hill Road went up in flames around 7 a.m. today.

Two adults and two "preschool-age" children are dead, Wagoner said, adding that their names and ages are not yet being released. State Deputy Fire Marshal Reed Cook told The Associated Press that the children were 3 and 5 years old. Neighbors said one child was a boy and one was a girl.

An older daughter, believed to be around 13 years old, was already at school when the fire broke out, neighbors said.

Wagoner said officials are trying to track down relatives of the victims, and that the older girl will get counseling.

Next-door neighbor Elizabeth Hayes said another neighbor pounded on her door and told her about the fire shortly after 7 a.m.

When she came outside to see what was happening, she said the front of the house was in flames. Within minutes, the small wood-frame house was completely ablaze.

"It didn't take long for it to be completely engulfed," she said.

Only the chimney and back wall of the house remained standing after the fire.

Hayes said she didn't know the victims very well, but said they were nice people. "The little boy was always ... flirting with me, bringing me flowers," she said. "They were good neighbors."

Kay Wilson said she has lived near the house for most of her life and said the fire victims have been living there for a few years.

Wagoner said a preliminary investigation shows that the fire started at the front of the house. The house doesn't appear to have a natural gas connection, indicating that the cause of the fire may be electrical, he added. "We all know it was cold last night," he said.

Republished with permission of The Charleston Gazette.

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