MONAVILLE, W.Va. — Fifteen years ago Monday a fire in Logan County claimed the lives of two adults and three children and how it started has never been discovered.
On Jan. 29, 2009, a fire ripped through a two-story house along state Route 44 in Monaville killing Dewayne Ellis, Melinda Dailey and her three children.
After an initial investigation by the state Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire was ruled suspicious and possibly drug-related. Investigators have said the fire was not arson.
The state Fire Marshal’s Office told MetroNews late last week it had nothing new to report on the fire.
A state police investigator told MetroNews at the four-year anniversary of the blaze that the investigation by fire marshals had showed the fire began “by any other means than natural.”
According to investigators, interviews conducted initially turned up a lot of intelligence regarding illegal drug activity. State police said they originally had some persons of interest but they don’t have enough evidence to make any arrests.
Anyone with information is urged to call the state arson hotline at 1-800-233-3473 (Fire).