This aerial photo taken from video
provided by WCMH-TV shows a burned out home in Washington Court House
Bodies of woman, 3 grandsons found in burned home in
Washington Court House, Ohio
By DAN
SEWELL
Dec. 26, 2014 3:58 PM EST
CINCINNATI (AP) — Three boys who
spent the night with their grandmother so she wouldn't be alone on Christmas
died with her Friday morning as a fire engulfed her home, authorities said.
Fayette County coroner Dr. Dennis
Mesker said the badly burned bodies were turned over to the Montgomery County
coroner's office for autopsies and confirmation.
They were tentatively identified as
60-year-old Terry Harris and three brothers: 14-year-old Kenyon, 11-year-old
Broderick and 9-year-old Braylon Harris. Terry Harris lived alone in the
single-story, ranch-style house that was destroyed by the fire reported shortly
after 4 a.m. The boys lived two houses down with their parents.
"They didn't want their grandma
to be by herself on Christmas night; that's why they spent the night
there," Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said. "The children
just adored their grandmother."
State Fire Marshal's spokesman
William Krugh said state investigators are still trying to determine what
caused the blaze.
Stanforth said the grandmother's
body was found near the front door, with the children near, so authorities
think she was trying to help them get out. Firefighters sifting through the
smoldering debris found the bodies hours after the blaze erupted because the
site was too unstable and hot before then.
"To lose three children and a
grandparent, it's devastating to the family," Stanforth said by telephone
from the Washington Court House area some 40 miles southwest of Columbus.
"The fact that it's the holidays makes it even worse for the
community."
He said that he had known the family
for years and that the oldest boy had wrestled competitively.
"They're a very close-knit
family," he said. "They were good boys."
Officials said counselors were on
hand Friday afternoon for family, friends and the children's classmates at
Washington Court House city schools' Liberty Hall, and counseling services will
be available through the holiday break.
