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Three killed in house fire

By: Greg Bird

Tragedy struck McCreary County again Sunday morning when three people, including a 2-year-old girl, perished in a house fire in Whitley City.

Whitley City Fire Department was dispatched to a Sycamore Trail residence around 5:45 a.m. Sunday morning. Upon arrival they found the structure fully involved. Firemen battled the blaze while searching for potential trapped victims.

Unfortunately, rescuers discovered the family in a bedroom and notified the Kentucky State Police.

David D. Perkins, 52, Lisa Y. Perkins, 48 and their two-year-old granddaughter Shaelynn Crabtree, passed away in the early morning fire that destroyed their mobile home. Though the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it appeared to have started somewhere in the main living area of the trailer. The fire did not reach the bedroom where the three victims were sleeping, but the smoke and fumes likely overcame them in their sleep.

All three victims appear to have died from smoke inhalation, and no foul play is suspected in the fire. An autopsy was performed Monday, but the results have not yet been released.

Kentucky State Police Detective Billy Correll and Post 11 Arson Investigator Brian Lewis are leading the investigation, and were assisted at the scene by the Kentucky State Fire Marshal, McCreary County Coroner Daniel Ridner, members of the South McCreary Fire Department and McCreary County EMS.

Obituaries for David Perkins, Lisa Perkins and Shaelynn Crabtree appear on page 6A.

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