Three children killed in Jackson County house fire; investigation ongoing

JACKSON COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Kentucky State Police are investigating a deadly house fire in Jackson County that claimed the lives of three young children and left several others injured.

According to Kentucky State Police Post 7 in Richmond, troopers were asked to assist the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department just before midnight on Tuesday at a home on Upper Dry Fork Road in McKee.

State police say the preliminary investigation determined that three children — a 7-month-old, a 2-year-old, and a 3-year-old — were pronounced dead at the scene as a result of the fire.

A fourth child, a 4-year-old, was taken to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital and later transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for additional treatment, according to KSP.

Police say three adults were also injured in the fire and transported to UK Hospital for treatment. They were identified as 23-year-old Tyler Monst of McKee, 22-year-old Morgan Johnson of McKee, and 76-year-old Florence Johnson of McKee.

Kentucky State Police say the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths are still under investigation. The case is being led by KSP Detective Anthony Bowling, with assistance from state police personnel, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, multiple fire departments, and the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.

No additional details have been released at this time.