House fire in West Virginia kills 2 adults, 6 kids

House fire in West Virginia kills 2 adults, 6 kids

2012-03-26 04:03:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least eight people were killed, including six children, after a house in West Virginia caught fire, local authorities said on Sunday.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning at around 3:25 a.m. local time at a home in Charleston, West Virginia. Local police told the Charleston Gazette that two sisters, 26-year-old Lisa Carter and 24-year-old Latasha Jones Isabell, lived in the house with their seven children.

The fire killed Carter and her boyfriend, who was spending the night at the house, although he did not live there. In addition, all of the six children killed were under eight years old. A seventh infant was taken to a local hospital where he is currently on life support and not expected to live.

Isabell was outside the house when the fire began and was uninjured from the incident.

Charleston Mayor Danny Jones visited the area on Saturday morning and compared the incident to a 1949 Woolworth department store fire in which seven firefighters lost their lives, the newspaper reported.

Investigations are pending in order to determine the exact cause of the fire although a candle had been lit during the evening near the place where the fire began, in the middle of the two-storey home's main level. Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants said criminal investigations will also be conducted.

Nonetheless, authorities took note that the people inside had no chance of being alerted with no functioning smoke detectors. Charleston laws require periodic inspections once every 24 months to determine whether rental properties are under compliance.

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