ST. PARIS - Inspectors with the Ohio State Fire Marshal's office returned to examine the scene of a fatal fire Monday and determined the origin of the blaze that claimed the lives of four children.
Funeral arrangements for siblings Nathan Skaggs, Patrick Snelling and Breonna Snelling as well as cousin Cassandra Karg are pending with Vernon Funeral Homes.
Investigation revealed that the fire started in the living room of the trailer at Lot 15 in Paris Court West, 11690 W. U.S. Route 36, but the cause has not been determined, said Shane Cartmill, a public information officer with the Ohio State Fire Marshal's office.
"Despite the rumors, investigators have found no evidence to support this fire was intentionally set," he said Monday afternoon. "It was hoped that an electrical engineer would be available today to assist investigators, but they won't be available until Tuesday or Wednesday, so the investigation will continue until later this week."
According to records from the Champaign County Auditor's office, the trailer was manufactured in 1983 and had been purchased in 2004 by Jeffrey Brinkman, but possibly abandoned due to delinquent unpaid taxes. The park operator, Les Bowman of Piqua, did not return a call seeking comment.
Cartmill said even though investigators had reported that the home had a non-operational smoke detector, none were found inside the ruins of the home.
"Witness statements originally indicated that a smoke detector was inside the home, but none was found among the debris," he said. "Smoke detectors double your chances of escaping a fire."
Cartmill said it's also important for families to have home fire escape plans to prevent tragedies such as Saturday's blaze, which was reported around 2:45 a.m.
"Every occupant should know what to do in the event of an emergency, including at least two ways out and a meeting place," he said.
Cartmill said Saturday's fire is the deadliest fire in Ohio this year to date. In January, fires in Toledo and Cleveland each resulted in two deaths. A fire on March 19 in Randolph in Portage County also was a double fatality. On the same date, fires claimed the lives of single individuals in Licking County and Muskingum County.
"The deadliest fire in 2008 was March 7 in Portsmouth with seven total fatalities," Cartmill said, noting that fire killed four adults and three children.
Breanne Parcels can be reached at bparcels@urbanacitizen.com
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