WILLIAMSBURG, W.Va. — Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan says six bodies have been found at the location of a residential fire in the Williamsburg area that occurred Tuesday.
Sloan confirmed to MetroNews Wednesday that five children were found dead in the two-story home on Flynn’s Creek Road. The remains of the fifth child weren’t discovered until Wednesday evening. One adult was found dead outside of the house in what Sloan called a ‘crime scene.’
Sloan said investigators have developed a timeline and sequence of events leading up to the deaths.
Gov. Jim Justice touched on the fire during his press briefing Wednesday. He said nine volunteer fire departments responded to the call around 3:30 in the afternoon.
“Once the fire departments were able to get the blaze extinguished enough to where people could access the site, the house was totally destroyed. There was nothing left,” Sloan told MetroNews.
At least three of the victims were elementary-aged children, students at nearby Frankford Elementary School, Justice said. Sloan said all the children are believed to be related.
“Any time you have a situation like this, something of this magnitude, it’s just devastating. Especially for a community like that and really the entire county,” Sloan said.
Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office worked through the evening and overnight at the fire scene. There’s no word on what started the blaze.
“Specific details of the investigation including the manner and cause of death will not be released pending the confirmation by the state medical examiner,” Justice said.
Sloan said the investigation is challenging because of the damage and the number of victims.