Father, 3 sons killed in East Liverpool fire

EAST LIVERPOOL

STAFF/WIRE REPORT

Fire officials say a father and his three sons were killed when a fire destroyed a house at 941 Vine St.

Fire Chief William Jones said the blaze was reported at 12:03 a.m. Saturday, and firefighters arrived within minutes. Jones said the father was in his 30s and the boys ranged in age from 5 to 11 years old.

Jones said the state fire marshal’s office is investigating the blaze, and the cause hasn’t been determined. No other injuries were reported.

The chief told 21-WFMJ-TV that the fire was reported by the mother of two of the boys as she was arriving home and that firefighters were unable to enter the home, which was engulfed in smoke and flames.

Authorities were withholding the victims’ names until the mother of the third boy could be notified.

Jones said it’s the deadliest fire he’s seen in more than two decades with the department.

“Everything is under investigation right now,” Jeff Kreefer, assistant fire chief, said late Saturday evening. Kreefer declined to provide additional information.