Photo by Indiana State Police
CASS CO., Ill. - A house fire at 4317 Pottawatomie Point Road, rural Logansport, Indiana in Cass County has resulted in the deaths of six people ranging in age from three months to 42 years.
This morning (November 28, 2018) at approximately 1:49 a.m., a 911 call to the Cass County Dispatch Center reported a burning home at 4317 Pottawatomie Point Road, rural Logansport, Ind. The caller reported that there were possibly multiple people trapped inside. Two Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were the first to arrive at the home and found the two-story house engulfed in flames. Despite the police officers' attempts to reach those inside, they were prohibited from doing so by the intense smoke and fire. Officers did encounter an adult male and an adult female who had allegedly escaped the fire. The pair was transported, by ambulance, to Logansport Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One of the deputies suffered from smoke inhalation, but refused medical treatment at the scene.
Multiple fire departments arrived on scene to battle the fire, cold temperatures, and lack of on-scene access to water. Firefighters had to truck in water from a Logansport hydrant when their tanker trucks ran dry. After the fire was extinguished, fire personnel began the painstaking task of combing through the burnt-out home looking for the bodies of the deceased.
During their search, firefighters recovered six bodies, two adults and four children. The adults were a 42 year-old man and a 25 year-old woman. The children found were three girls ages 10, one, and three, and a boy age three months. The youngest kids are the children of the 25 year-old female. The 10 year-old girl is the daughter of the 42 year-old man.
The relationship between the 42 year-old man and the 25 year-old woman has not been established. The two adults that escaped the fire are believed to be the wife and son of the deceased 42 year-old man.
This is an active investigation led by the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set.
Names of the deceased will be released when they are verified by the Cass County Coroner’s Office.
There were numerous agencies assisting the Cass County Sheriff’s Department at the scene to include the Logansport Fire Department, the New Waverly Fire Department, the Clymer’s Fire Department, the Walton Fire Department, the Indiana State Police, the Logansport Police Department, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office, Cass County EMA, Cass County EMS, the Cass County Coroner’s Office, and the local chapter of the Salvation Army.