Kentucky Fire Claims Lives of 8 Children, Mother

A fire in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky has claimed the lives of eight children and their mother on Thursday morning. The father and one of the children managed to escape, and were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

A spokeswoman at the hospital said 36-year-old Chad Watson was in critical but stable condition. The condition of an 11-year-old child that arrived with Watson wasn't released.

Authorities are still sifting through the single-story home, searching for three more bodies. So far six deaths have been confirmed.

A neighbor said the children were 4 to 15 in age.

The fire department received a call at about 2 a.m. in the morning, and arriving just minutes later, found the house totally engulfed in fire.

The cause of the fire continues to be under investigation.

Kentucky Fire Fatalities Hit 22 in Early 2013

 

The large number of fire deaths in Kentucky so far in the early part of 2013 has prompted state fire marshal William Swope to make some comments on how residents can better protect themselves.

So far 22 people have died in fires so far in the early part of 2013. At the same time last year there were only four deaths from fires in Kentucky.

"Compared to last year at this time, we had four. The year before we had 21. So it goes up and down but I think this year because we had so many, so close together and it's involved multiple loss of life, that is has brought more attention to the situation," added Swope.

Swope said, "What we do know is that when it comes to fire fatalities, the common thread is the lack of a working smoke detector."

As for the causes of fires, each case is different said Swope.

The latest tragedy was March 14, where 3 people perished in a home fire in the Alpha community of Wayne County. Dead are Doug “Shorty” Walker, his wife Melvina, her grandson, Jaimie. Jaimie's sister Samantha was the only survivor of the fire.

For those unsure about smoke detectors and whether they're in working order, Swope said they should contact their local fire department.

Kentucky Dog Saved Using CPR

California firefighters attempt to save dog using CPR

A dog in a Kentucky home was trapped when a fire started and fortunately for the dog, it survived because of the work of firefighters on the scene, who found the dog unresponsive in the smoke-filled home.

After pulling the dog from the home, firefighters in Murray, Kentucky began to perform CPR on the dog through chest compressions and the use of a mask on the dogs nose, which pumped air into its lungs.

For a while it didn't look like the dog would survive, but 20 minutes later it responded, whereupon it was taken to a veterinarian to be checked out. Word is the dog will recover fully from its ordeal.

Murray Fire Department Capt. Brian Mills said this: "We were able to seal off the dog's mouth and nose enough with (a mask), and forced air in like you would on a human. Slowly but surely he came around. ... It's one of the most unique days at the office I've ever had."

Another firefighter, Steven Lax, said that the approach towards saving the dog was similar to how they would have done it if working on a person.

The dog was the only occupant of the home when the fire began in the living room. Fortunately it was able to be contained there.

House Fire in Kentucky Kills 5 Children, 2 Adults

photo credit: wbir.com

 

A house fire in rural southeaster Kentucky has claimed the lives of seven people, including five children.

Knox County Coroner Mike Blevins said he wouldn't be releasing the names of the victims until positive identification is made. A mother and three of her children died, but there were two other children not part of the family that are thought to be among the victims, and that is probably the reason for the delay in the release of the names - to ensure they are identified correctly.

No news on who the man that perished was yet either. While it is likely it is known who it is, the fire would have caused obvious problems in confirming the identity as well.

There is no official announcement as to the cause of the fire yet, which took place near Corbin in the Gray community. That's located about halfway between Knoxville, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky.

The fire remains under investigation officials said.

update:

Dead in the tragic fire are Nina Asher, 22, Jesse Disney, her fiance, Asher’s three children: identified as William, 3; Camden, 2; and Abigail, almost 1. Asher was also reportedly three months pregnant at the time of her death.

The other two children were girls of a friend that were spending a sleepover at the home when it caught fire. They have yet to be identified.

Disney and two of Asher's children who perished in the fire

 

Nina Asher and Jesse Disney

 

Nina Nicole Disney via Facebook