Alcoa, Tenn. — Three days after a house fire killed six people in Alcoa, family members are still waiting for answers about what caused the fire.
The fire happened early Sunday morning at a house on North Wright Road. Six people were in the house, and all of them—four adults and two children—were killed.
Family members of the victims met with investigators at the Alcoa Police Department on Wednesday. They are anxious for the investigation to be wrapped up so they can bury their loved ones.
Alcoa police say they have not determined the cause of death or how the fire started.
Alcoa police detectives are working with the Blount County Sheriff's Office arson investigator and the AFD fire marshal in this investigation and say more details will be released as they become available.
WBIR has held off on reporting the names of the victims until law enforcement confirmed the next of kin had been notified. The Alcoa Police Department officially released that information Wednesday evening.
APD identified the adult victims of the fire as 53-year-old Patricia Gail Mishoe, 54-year-old Raymond Earl Mishoe, 27-year-old Olivia Gail Mishoe, and 29-year-old David Joshua Morgan. Morgan's and Olivia Mishoe's children, 6-year-old Aiden Morgan and 5-year-old Jaxsen Morgan, were confirmed by APD to be the two children that died in the fire.
Two days before the fire on April 20, the landlord of the home, Shirley Roulette, filed eviction paperwork. The fire was on April 22, and on April 23 the eviction notice was withdrawn.
According to the papers, the last oral and written notice to vacate the property was on March 17. The papers state the family owed $4,000, which meant they were 8 months late on their rent.
Alcoa Fire Department Chief Roger Robinson said this is one of the worst fires he's seen in his career.
"In my 39 years of my career as a firefighter of the Alcoa Fire Department, 11 years as fire chief, this is the worst tragedy I've ever seen in the City of Alcoa Fire Department's history," Robinson said.
29 firefighters from Maryville and Alcoa, on and off-duty, helped work to put out the fire and attempt to rescue victims inside.
They were able to rescue four victims from the home where police and AMR attempted CPR. However, none of those four victims were able to be resuscitated and pronounced dead at area hospitals. Two others were found dead inside the home.