A four-story condominium in Lake of the Ozarks community, in Osage Beach, Mo., was damaged by raging fire late Tuesday. City and state investigators are still examining the remains of the fire ravaged building.
Four young children, who are believed to be related and were gathered for a birthday party, have died in the tragedy. The victims where girls ages 2, 2 and 4 and a boy, 5. Their identities will not be released until Thursday according to Police Chief Todd Davis. Authorities are still trying to identify the actual cause of the blaze.
Fire Chief Jeff Dorhauer said that an adult male was able to escape from the fourth floor of the condo but could not get back to the children. He was identified as the dead boy's father. The firefighters were able to rescue two adults from the third floor.
Firefighters have rescued two adults from the third floor.
"It is listed as suspicious only because of the deaths," Dorhauer said. "There is nothing to lead us to believe it is a crime and nothing to lead to believe it was not a crime."
From the initial investigation, the fire was said to have started on the fourth floor, possibly in the attic or inside a wall where it was able to grow. The chief said some people have reported an explosion that may have been caused by an air conditioning unit or an aerosol can.
Dorhauer also mentioned that there were smoke detectors in the building but it was not clear if those in the fourth floor where functional.
Eight departments responded and firefighters began arriving by 11:30 after the first call was at 11:21 p.m. The firefighters found heavy flames on the fourth floor blazing through the room. The rescuers had to use ladders because the stairs inside the building have already collapsed.
"When it is children, and when it's more than one, it becomes personal," Dorhauer told the Post-Dispatch. "The guys tend to see their family as they're doing this. And sometimes it's very hard to get over.
"As hard as this is, we were able to bring two people out safely. It's not very comforting for the guys at this point. They did the best they could."
