Posted by Kara Apel
Clarksville fire officials are investigating a house fire that killed two children and seriously injured a teenager.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
Two children were killed in a house fire in Clarksville on Tuesday morning, according to police.
The two victims have been identified as 9-year-old Travis Howard Jr. and 11-year-old Ann Howard.
Josh Phillips, 14, is in critical condition after being airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Firefighters were called to the home on the 400 block of Shelby Street at 4:15 a.m.
Clarksville Fire Marshal Ray Williams said the victims' parents did not know their children had died and he had to break the news to them.
"Any time you have children involved, it's a little tougher. When I got here to the scene, they were putting the children in bags. That's not a good scene to look at," he said.
There were no working smoke detectors in the home. Fire officials said one of the children never woke up.
Williams said the fire started in the living room.
The parents and an 18-year-old family member who was visiting were able to escape the fire.
Vicki Pollard of Clarksville has been a close friend of the Howard family for 18 years. She has become known to the children as Aunt Vicki.
“You sit there and you ask yourself why would it happen to such good people?” Pollard said.
Officials said the blaze was not suspicious and appears to be electrical in nature. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Josh Phillips, 14, is in critical condition after being airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Firefighters were called to the home on the 400 block of Shelby Street at 4:15 a.m.
Clarksville Fire Marshal Ray Williams said the victims' parents did not know their children had died and he had to break the news to them.
"Any time you have children involved, it's a little tougher. When I got here to the scene, they were putting the children in bags. That's not a good scene to look at," he said.
There were no working smoke detectors in the home. Fire officials said one of the children never woke up.
Williams said the fire started in the living room.
The parents and an 18-year-old family member who was visiting were able to escape the fire.
Vicki Pollard of Clarksville has been a close friend of the Howard family for 18 years. She has become known to the children as Aunt Vicki.
“You sit there and you ask yourself why would it happen to such good people?” Pollard said.
Officials said the blaze was not suspicious and appears to be electrical in nature. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.