‘A very unfortunate accident’: Cause of KC fire that killed twins remains a mystery
Days after a fire killed 1-year-old twins inside a Kansas City home, the fire department says it cannot determine the cause.
The fire broke out on the second floor of the recently renovated two-story house in the 3400 block of Woodland Avenue around 1:45 p.m. Dec. 27.
Six children, including the twins, were at home with a 23-year-old sister. She escaped with four of the children.
Firefighters said the the blaze was mostly contained to one room, where the twins were found, but it had started to spread. Firefighters were able to knock down the blaze within five to 10 minutes.
By Wednesday, Kansas City Deputy Fire Chief Jimmy Walker said investigators still didn’t know what caused the fire.
The Kansas City Police Bomb and Arson Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were requested to help with the investigation.
“We never came up with a direct cause. … There was a lot of damage in this fire,” Walker said. “We sifted through debris, and a lot of physical evidence was wrecked by the fire itself.”
Walker added that investigators say the fire was not caused by an electrical malfunction nor was it intentionally set.
“We believe it was accidental,” Walker said. “A very unfortunate accident.”
Also on Wednesday, the twins who died were identified as Memoree Bennett and Memphis Bennett. A joint funeral service was scheduled for Thursday.
A friend of the family and the Kansas City church they attend set up a GoFundMe account for the surviving family members. More than $4,000 had been raised as of Wednesday to help the family cover funeral costs.
“They lost everything,” said Terry Glenn, the pastor at World Harvest Ministries, which owned the house where the family lived. The burned-out house is just a few doors down from the church, where the family recently joined the congregation.
The family had been living in the home for fewer than 60 days, Glenn told The Star. Currently, he said, they are staying with neighbors and getting trauma counseling.
“We are focusing on helping this family heal,” Glenn said. “They need new community members to become a part of their family to help them rebuild their lives. To help them start over.”
He said that in addition to the GoFundMe account, the church will take donations of new or slightly used clothing and blankets. “They need everything,” Glenn said.
Includes reporting by The Star’s Mará Rose Williams.
This story was originally published January 2, 2019 at 5:14 PM.
