Deaths of father, two children in Cameron. Mo., fire thought to be accidental

The investigation is ongoing, but a father and his two children found dead in a house in Cameron, Mo., probably died of an accidental fire, officials said Saturday.

The bodies were discovered shortly before 5 p.m. Friday in the 100 block of East Fourth Street in Cameron, a town of about 8,000 east of St. Joseph.

Police and firefighters responded to a fire call but found no blaze, only a “smoke-like odor” in the residence.

At a news conference Saturday, Officer Heath Henry of the Cameron Police Department said that autopsies were being performed on the three victims but that the deaths appeared accidental.

“We do not expect anything criminal at this time,” Henry said. “But we are continuing to investigate.”

The victims were identified as Robert Borchardt, 36, Chelsey Borchardt, 9, and Tucker Borchardt, 7.

Investigators think the fire started in the kitchen area around the stove.

Henry said earlier media reports of an explosion were unfounded.