UPDATED Tuesday 4:40 pm — The Medical Examiner’s Office has officially determined that the two young bodies found in the burned-out house on Mt Chestnut Road last Saturday are that of Patrick McKinnon, who was 10 years old, and Logan McKinnon, who was five years old. Initial reports indicate the cause of death to be due to “inhalation of products of combustion.” The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
UPDATED Monday morning — Tom and Lindsay McKinnon were hosting close friends Christy and Zack Montoya along with their two daughters when the fire started. 10-year-old Patrick McKinnon and 5-year-old Logan McKinnon died in the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
A press release sent on behalf of the family says all the survivors were taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for evaluation. Zack Montoya and his daughters were released. Christy Montoya and the McKinnons were transferred to Winston-Salem’s burn unit. Christy is being treated for burns on her arms, back and face. She is expected to remain in the hospital for the next few weeks. Tom and Lindsay are being transferred out of the Intensive Care Unit, but are still being monitored for smoke inhalation. There are several fundraising pages available to donate to the families.
A page supporting the McKinnons can be found here
A page supporting the Montoya family can be found here
(Continue reading for the original story)
An early Saturday morning house fire took the lives of two Roanoke County brothers who attended North Cross School. Fire officials have not yet released their names, but the North Cross School Facebook page confirms that both victims were Lower School students there. Patrick McKinnon was a fourth grader at the school and Logan McKinnon was a kindergarten student. The school sent a letter to parents Saturday afternoon confirming the victims’ names and saying special counseling will be available to students Monday. The fire was spotted around 1:15 am Saturday at the home on the 7600 block of Mt. Chestnut Road, and when crews arrived, the home was nearly fully involved. Officials say the first firefighters to arrive were told that the two were missing and may be inside, but shortly after firefighters started their search, they were ordered to evacuate due to unsafe conditions. A short time later, officials say, a portion of the house collapsed from the extensive fire damage.
Fire officials say eight people were in the house: the victims, their parents, and a family of four visiting from out of town. All six were transported for local hospital treatment, one of them in critical condition. There is no cause listed yet for the fire, which caused an estimated $250,000 damage.
Here is the full Roanoke County Fire and Rescue news release
March 19, 2016, 5:30 p.m. UPDATE (ROANOKE COUNTY)—The fire that fully engulfed a house on Mt. Chestnut Road early this morning remains under investigation. Fire Marshal’s office personnel along with a Police Department investigator worked tirelessly throughout the day to dig out the charred remains of the collapsed house and carefully find two juveniles. The 5-year-old and 10-year-old have been taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification as is protocol.
The house is a total loss and initial damage estimates are $250,000 for the structure and contents. There is still a lot of work for investigators to do before they can determine exactly what happened.
One dog escaped the fire with family members. A second dog and a cat were found outside the home several hours after the
March 19, 2016, 10:30 A.M. UPDATE (ROANOKE COUNTY)—Fire investigators are beginning their work at the scene of the house fire on Mt. Chestnut Road. The house has completely collapsed and the charred debris is still very hot making it difficult for crews.
We now know that a family of four lived in the home and their two children are unaccounted for at this time. Additionally, there was family of four visiting from out of town. All of the visiting family escaped and were transported to the hospital.
March 19, 2016 (ROANOKE COUNTY)—Roanoke County Fire & Rescue crews were dspatched to the 7600 block of Mt. Chestnut Road for a reported structure fire at about 1:15 a.m.
When the first crews arrived, they found a two-story house that was almost completely engulfed in flames and had spread to the wooded area around the home. Initial reports indicated that several family members were missing and may be inside. Firefighters were able to make entry into the house and search for victims, but were soon instructed to evacuate due to unsafe conditions. Once fire crews exited the structure, a portion of the house collapsed.
Career and volunteer crews from the Cave Spring, Back Creek, Bent Mountain and Clearbrook stations worked to put this fire out. Additionally, Salem units assisted with medical transport.
Four adults and two children were transported to a local hospital. One of those patients was in critical condition. Sadly, at this time, two children are unaccounted for and thought to be inside the burned out home. Ages of the missing children are unknown at this time.
Fire investigators are on scene and will work to determine what caused this fire.
