LOGANSPORT, Ind. (WTHR) — Fire investigators are done digging through the debris of a Logansport home destroyed by fire. Six people, four of them children, died in the fire.
Investigators have ruled the fire "accidental" and "undetermined."
They left the scene looking disappointed that they couldn't positively identify how or what started the fire. The answers might have provided some help to a hurting family and community.
Family friends placed four teddy bears in front of the destroyed home.
Ten-year-old KaDee Huddleston and her dad Joseph were killed, along with 3-year-old Swayze, 1-year-old Rhylie, 3-month-old Marshall Hite and their mom Brandi.
Until recently, Brandi Vail worked at a nearby McDonalds.
"My heart is in my stomach," said former co-worker Ian Nicoll. He and another, Lianette Lugo, said Vail was more than a co-worker, she was like a family member.
"She was always thinking about her kids," Lugo said. "She would always have them with her. She could do it all. she struggled but she could to it all," Nicoll explained.
Early Tuesday morning when the house erupted in flames, investigators believe Vail may have tried to lead all four children to safety.
Investigators found her body just a few feet from a side door and the children were found several more feet away.
Fire investigators focused their attention on the home's kitchen. Two adults who survived the fire told them there was smoke and something glowing in that area.
Investigators found a scorched and broken extension cord connected to a power strip. "But we can't say that was the cause because we didn't have enough of it what is left to do the testing," State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said.
[view:swiper_image_slideshow=panel_pane_swiper_image_slideshow=1974130/showcaptions/loopslides]
When authorities went to inform the Hite children's father, Daniel Hite, about the tragedy, they found him dead in his home.
Greeson said investigators eliminated arson and other possible causes, including the furnace, major appliances and the home's electrical system.
They've ruled the fire accidental and the cause undetermined.
Now the priority is making counseling available to investigators, fire fighters, rescuers and others who’s lives were changed by lives lost.
"There is always that piece you wonder you wish could have done more," Greeson explained. "In some cases there isn’t more you can do."
According to the fire marshal, there were no smoke alarms in the home that might have given the family some more time to get to safety.