BERRY, Ky. - A fire in northern Kentucky that killed two adults and two children was so intense that it destroyed three houses on Sunday, officials said.
The blaze in Berry, a town of about 310 people, just northwest of Cynthiana in Harrison County, started about 3 a.m. The children were 5 years old and 3 years old and WLEX-TV reported that each was half of a separate set of twins. Officials did not identify those killed.
The station reported that one of the firefighters called to the scene showed up only to find out his sister, cousin and two nephews had not made it out. All four killed were found inside a bedroom, officials said.
Neighbors reported hearing a series of explosions. Neighbor Todd Cockley said his dogs began barking early Sunday morning and when he let them outside, he saw flames.
He ran to his neighbors' homes to wake them up.
"I beat on the house there," he told WLEX. "I knocked a window out with my hand and I tried to call in, but when I opened the window it was too hot I couldn't do anything."
He ran next door to alert the other home, where Melinda and Rose Noble live.
"If he hadn't been out there beating and banging we probably wouldn't have heard anything. We wouldn't have seen the fire. It probably would have been too late," Melinda Noble said.
State police and firefighters are investigating the cause.
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Information from: WLEX-TV,
http://www.lex18.com
Information from: WKYT-TV,
http://www.wkyt.com
Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader,
http://www.kentucky.com
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