BARDSTOWN, Ky. (AP) - Ten white wooden crosses flanked the pulpit of a church where a rural community gathered to mourn 10 relatives killed in a house fire.
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(Photo: AP / Patti Longmire)Saretha Litsey, right, cries during a vigil for the 10 people were were killed in a Tuesday house fire, at First Baptist Church in Bardstown, Ky., Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007. The fire that killed 10 relatives started near the front door and was not caused by the home's electrical or heating systems, investigators said Wednesday. Litsey is a related to the victims.
The prayer service began Wednesday night with the Lord's Prayer, and later Chrissie Haynes, a teacher, presented two miniature school buildings and playgrounds that her students made from Popsicle sticks, saying the structures represented the school in heaven for the six children who died.
A dozen people were staying at the single-story brick house when the fire broke out Tuesday. A woman, her boyfriend, two of her daughters and six of her grandchildren — including 2-year-old twins Heaven and Earth Maddox — all died of smoke inhalation, county Coroner Field Houghlin said Thursday.
Nine of the bodies were found in four different rooms near the rear of the house. The 10th, Johnny Lewis Litsey, 52, was pulled from a laundry room and died on the way to a local hospital, Fire Chief Anthony Mattingly said.
Investigators haven't determined the fire's cause and may never find it, Mattingly said. One survivor, identified by a neighbor as Darrell Maddox, was hospitalized in stable condition, but investigators have not been able to speak to him, Mattingly said.
The service at First Baptist Church brought together pastors and at least 300 area residents to pray, sing and hold hands around grieving relatives of the victims.
"It's OK to shed your tears," the Rev. Michael Smith said. "They're all right now because they're in the hands of the Lord. They're better off than we are."
A chorus of "amen" filled the sanctuary.
Paul Litsey, a first cousin to Johnny Litsey, said he appreciated the community turnout.
"This is a close-knit community. There really never was a color barrier. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white. We just all grew up together," he said.
One funeral was being planned for all 10 victims, relatives said.
"Everybody's going to leave all together," Stephanie Walls said. "That's the way it should be."
Associated Press Writer Brett Barrouquere contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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