Thursday, June 16, 2011
WARREN — “We’ve got six to bury at one time,” Linda Dorsey said of her son, daughter-in-law, three grandchildren and a teenaged relative.
At the home of Dorsey and Edward Bernard of Warren’s Southwest Side, the scope of a tragic Thursday morning house fire was only starting to sink in.
The four members of the Derek Dorsey family — Audrey and Derek and their two children, Derek Jr. and Ariell — along with two young relatives, died in the blaze on Landsdowne Avenue Northwest.
Division of State Fire Marshal investigators have determined the fire was most likely the result of an unattended charcoal grill located on the back deck of the home in close proximity to a wood fence and vinyl siding. Radiant heat from the grill most likely caused the fire which then spread to the upper level of the home.
Linda Dorsey said Derek, 31, and Audrey are the parents of Derek Jr., 11, and Ariell, 9. Miracle Hugley, 9, was Linda and Edward’s granddaughter and lived with them but was staying overnight with her cousins, Linda said.
The sixth person in the house was a teen-aged niece of Audrey’s from Columbus who had been staying with the family this summer.
The fire was reported at 4:43 a.m. by a neighbor, and firefighters believe the fire had been burning for quite a while before anyone noticed.
More details to come on Vindy.com and in Friday's Vindicator.