MATHIAS, W.Va. — Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Baltic said there was no evidence of working smoke alarms in a mobile home where a man and four young children died Saturday morning in Hardy County.
Baltic, the lead investigator on the fire, said smoke alarms save lives.
“That is a huge, huge way from keeping this from happening,” Baltic said during an appearance Monday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “There are countless lives that has been lost because of no smoke detectors, no smoke alarms.”
The single-wide mobile home near Mathias was full of flames when firefighters arrived on the scene at shortly at 5 a.m. Saturday. The mother of the children had gotten out of one of the windows and went next door to get help from relatives. The fire killed a 28-year-old man and the children, ages, 1,2, 3, and 5.
A GoFundMe page identifies the mother as Candi. It says the fire claimed the lives her fiancé Hunter, her 2 children Grayson & Bucklee, and her 2 step children Abilene & Jayce. As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised more than $50,000 to pay for medical and funeral expenses.
A second GoFundMe page is for Abilene and Jayce. It has raised $12,000 by Monday afternoon.
Baltic said again Monday that the main damage to the mobile home was in the living room area where the family used space heaters but investigators won’t be able to determine if that’s what started the fire because of the damage.
“Everything in that living room is completely destroyed. There’s nothing left in there, floors and everything, they are all gone,” Baltic said.
The remnants of a space heater were found in the living room area but there’s still no way to tell if it did or did not contribute to the fire, according to Baltic.
There are several smoke detector programs in the state that cover purchase and installation of the devices, Baltic said.
“Some fire departments will give those out and install them for free. The state Fire Marshal’s Office, we have a program we run through the Red Cross, we will come and install them,” Baltic said.
The mother remains hospitalized in Winchester, Va., Baltic hopes to speak with hear when she is physically able to do so.