LOUISVILLE, Ky. — According to the United States Fire Administration, there have been nine home fire deaths in Kentucky this year, with four happening in Casey County last week.

What You Need To Know

  • A house fire in Casey County killed four people, including two children, last Thursday, Jan. 25 

  • The house is right next door to the Southeast Casey Volunteer Fire Department

  • Rural firefighters said there are some challenges to access water in rural areas 

  • Other challenges include narrow roads and travel time

Casey County sits two hours southeast of Louisville. It is home to around 16,000 people. Rural areas like Casey County can pose a different set of challenges for firefighters compared to metropolitan areas. 

Kentucky State Police said the fire last Thursday, Jan. 25 in the Bethelridge community took the lives of four people, including two children. 

The house is right next door to the Southeast Casey Volunteer Fire Department, but it took firefighters from other departments in the county, as well as from Lincoln and Pulaski counties, to put out the blaze.

Residents in Casey County described their neighborhood as quiet and scenic, surrounded by trees, grass and mountains. But last week, Alissa Adams’ neighborhood was turned upside down when a fire broke out across the street from her home. 

"It was smoking real bad at first," she said. "Nobody [knew] it was on fire." 

With rural fires, Southeast Casey Volunteer Fire Department Chief Billy Duncan said there can be a lack of water in a rural setting. He added when there's an emergency, volunteers take approximately nine minutes to get to the station.

Since the department is all volunteers, there usually isn’t anyone at the station.

"In a rural county, in a rural setting, you have to remember there's no one at the station," Duncan said. "They've got to come from somewhere to the station. They have to leave their jobs or their families to drive to the station, get the equipment and then take the equipment to the fire."

Road conditions are also a concern because there are narrow roads firefighters have to drive slower on, Duncan added. 

"We have multiple road structures ... but we are fortunate enough we can access all those roads in our district," he said. 

Adams said the firefighters responded quickly Thursday. She isn’t worried about response time if an emergency were to ever happen at her home.

Ariel Gordon, 29, of Lebanon and Thomas Moss, 39, of Summersville were the identified. Two children also died. 

The cause of the fire and other details are under investigation.

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