8 Dead in Oklahoma House Fire, Homicide Investigation Underway

Police tape in a stock photo. Carl Ballou/Shutterstock

Eight family members died in a house fire in Oklahoma on Oct.27 and police are now investigating the incident as a possible homicide, officials have confirmed.

The blaze was first reported at around 4 p.m. in a quiet residential area of Broken Arrow, a city in the northeastern part of Oklahoma and the largest suburb of Tulsa.

Police spokesman Ethan Hutchin said that witnesses informed officials that a family of eight had lived in the house, including two adults and six children.

The bodies have not yet been positively identified due to the damage the blaze caused to the property, which has made it difficult for officials to confirm those killed.

“There’s still a lot to be investigated as far as those identities,” Hutchins said Thursday.

Broken Arrow Police Department (BAPD) said in a statement on Thursday evening that it “continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident,” adding that it is a “complex scene given the state of the house due to the fire damage.”

“This remains under investigation,” BAPD said. Police do not believe there is an immediate threat to the public.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is assisting in the investigation and a press conference has been scheduled for Friday morning where police are expected to provide further details.

‘We Will Mourn Together’

Broken Arrow is a city of about 116,000, and officials called the incident a tragedy of great magnitude.

“Broken Arrow stands together,” BAPD Chief Brandon Berryhill said in a separate statement on Thursday.“We will mourn together, and in the end, we will heal together. Please pray for those who have lost their lives, and for our first responders who are dealing with a tragedy of this magnitude. My staff and I, as well as the Fire Chief and his staff, will have more information tomorrow.”

Lisa Ford, a city councilor in Broken Arrow told The New York Times that the city is typically a safe place where any type of violence is “definitely out of the norm.”

Thursday’s possible homicide markets the first in Broken Arrow this year, according to 2 News. One witness told the publication that he had heard a noise that sounded like a “transformer blew” before “pure chaos” was unleashed in the blaze.

Another witness driving past the scene, Catelin Powers, recalled seeing thick smoke spewing from the home which is located near her own residence. Powers told The Associated Press that she saw a woman who was apparently unconscious and unresponsive being carried out of the home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.