Three young children were confirmed dead after a tragic house fire just days before Christmas in Jackson County, Kentucky.
The Kentucky State Police Department confirmed that a 7-month-old, a 2-year-old, and a 3-year-old were pronounced dead at the scene shortly before midnight on December 23.
Officers were called to the fatal house fire on Upper Dry Fork Road in McKee to assist the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Highlights
- Three young children, aged 7 months, 2 years, and 3 years, died in a house fire in Jackson County, Kentucky, on December 23.
- A 4-year-old child survived the fire and is recovering after skin graft surgery in Ohio, with more surgeries planned.
- Three adults, including the children’s parents and a 76-year-old, were injured and treated at the University of Kentucky Hospital.
Three children died in the fire on December 23
Image credits: Lex18
Authorities said a fourth child, a 4-year-old, was transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital.
She was later transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for further treatment.
Police said three adults, Tyler Monst, 23, Morgan Johnson, 22, and Florence Johnson, 76, also sustained injuries in the fire.
They were transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital for treatment.
McKee Police Chief Zachary Bryant told Lex18 the house was ablaze by the time emergency services were called to the scene.
Image credits: GoFundMe
“I responded off duty and was the first on scene. When I came up on the home, it was fully involved in flames. Once the fire department got there, I assisted them with trying to extinguish the fire best we could,” Bryant said.
“Christmas is meant for joy and happiness. Obviously this community is not experiencing that this year,” he added.
A fundraising page has now been launched by the grandmother of the three children killed in the fire, Lana Monst.
So far, over $24,000 has been raised to support the family.
“In the early morning of Christmas Eve my son’s house caught fire which resulted in the death of his three children ages ranging from seven months to three years old,” Monst wrote.
Investigations into the cause of the fire remain ongoing
Image credits: GoFundMe
“My son and the mother were also burned, and my oldest granddaughter made it to the hospital.
“They’ve lost everything they own: their house, their clothes, they have nothing, they live in Jackson County Kentucky. If you could please donate anything would help thank you God bless you.”
In an update posted to the page on December 27, Monst shared images of her son Tyler in hospital and said both parents were heading to Ohio to be with their surviving daughter.
“The parents are heading to Ohio to be with their daughter who is recovering from skin graft surgery. Braighlee will have more surgeries to come. Thank you for all your prayers and your support,” she wrote.
Neighbors told Lex18 that the tragic loss had shaken the community.
Image credits: Kentucky State Police
“It’s a tragedy. Especially at Christmas time,” neighbor Wayne Carpenter said.
“This community will come together and do everything we can to see this family get back on its feet and it’s what Jackson County does.”
Neighbor Orvel Hisel added, “I’ll be honest with you. I never saw such an outpouring of people in life, you know. Our county’s a good county. We’ve got a good group of people, sheriffs, fire departments. They were here all night.
“My first thought went to my family. And it’s just so sad. Especially at the time frame of Christmas Eve. It’s a pretty sad situation.
“I couldn’t imagine what that family is facing today with the loss of three children.”
The cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.