Six Children Among Eight Found Dead in OK House Fire; Murder Probe Continues
Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News
(TNS)
A homicide investigation was underway in Oklahoma on Friday after eight people were discovered dead in a house fire, police announced.
The massive blaze broke out around 4 p.m. on Thursday at a residence in Broken Arrow, a suburb about 10 miles southeast of Tulsa. Several hours later, police confirmed the bodies of eight people, including six children, were discovered inside the home, where they all lived together.
None of the victims have been identified, but police believe they were a family.
The circumstances surrounding the fire were unclear and remain under investigation.
“It is a complex scene given the state of the house due to the fire damage,” the Broken Arrow Police Department said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Despite the homicide investigation, authorities do not believe there is any immediate threat to the public.
“Understandably, this is a shock to Broken Arrow,” police spokesman Ethan Hutchins told reporters at the scene. “It’s a safe city. Broken Arrow doesn’t have this kind of situation every day.”
Catelin Powers said she was driving with her children when she saw a large plume of smoke unfurl in the skies overhead. She drove closer to investigate, noting it appeared the thick dark clouds were emerging from the attic of the house.
Two men and a woman on her phone were already standing in front of the residence by the time she arrived. She then watched as another man dragged an unresponsive woman out of the home.
“Her arms were flopped to her sides,” Powers said, adding that she appeared to be in her 20s.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was assisting in the investigation.
With News Wire Services
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