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| January 16, 2008 |
| 4 people killed in house fire; including 2 children: Pinch |
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Richard Messinger, principal at Elkview Middle School, passed by the home of one his students on his way to work Wednesday morning, not knowing that minutes later it would go up in flames.
Two adults and two young children were killed in the blaze. An older daughter, believed to be around 13 years old, was already at Elkview Middle when the fire broke out, neighbors said. Messinger said the girl was kept isolated in her classroom until a family member and chaplain could be with her. “As soon as we were able to determine that it may involve students in the school, we put a plan in play to monitor that student’s activity,” Messinger said. Counselors will be available today to talk to all students at the school, Messinger said. “Any time something happens with one of our students, it’s devastating for everyone, and we all feel for the student,” he said. “One of the things we do in any situation is to provide a safe haven and caring environment for students if we can.” The Elkview house went up in flames around 7 a.m., Pinch Volunteer Fire Chief Sonny Wagoner said. The state fire marshal’s office, the state medical examiner’s office and the state Department of Health and Human Resources would not release the names of the deceased late Wednesday, each referring reporters to another agency for the information. Wagoner said the two children killed were preschool age. Neighbors said one child was a boy and one was a girl. Three of the four victims were found huddled close together, said fire officials. Elizabeth Hayes, who lives next door to the house that caught fire, 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 showed the fire started at the front of the house. The house didn’t appear to have a natural-gas connection, indicating the cause of the fire may be electrical, he added. “We all know it was cold last night,” he said. The investigation pointed to the fire possibly starting at an electric heater, said state Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis. “We found a number of [space heaters],” he said. “From witness statements and firefighters, the fire wasn’t even noticed until it had already broken through the roof. Once that happens it gains oxygen and it will spread, and spread fast.” “By the time it was confirmed to be on fire we could have been right beside the place and we wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” Wagoner said. The Red Cross is working with the victims’ immediate family to see what help the organization can provide, said Sheri McGraw, spokeswoman for the agency’s central West Virginia chapter. This incident occured in Kanawha County.  
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Story by: James I. Davison Photos by: The Charleston Gazette and The Daily Mail Source: The Charleston Gazette |
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