A North Carolina mother has been charged after four of her young daughters were killed in a house fire, while two others were forced to flee.
Reagan Powers, 28, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, according to court records. The fire broke out on August 30 off a small road in rural North Carolina.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office responded to the North Colony Road home after receiving a report of a structure fire with entrapments.Deputies were “advised that a female caller stated her residence was on fire and four children remained inside,” the law enforcement agency said days later.
The first deputy responded nine minutes after the call, but by then, “the residence was fully engulfed in flames.” Authorities stated that the fire was so intense that “it was not possible to make a safe entry into the home.”
Four girls perished in the fire. They were 2, 4, 6, and 7 years old, according to WNCN, a CBS affiliate in Raleigh. Two 11-year-old girls managed to escape.
Powers’ arrest warrants stated that she left the younger children in the care of an 11-year-old girl while she left the house. It’s unclear where she went.
“Our community is facing an unimaginable tragedy,” Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers and Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman said in a joint statement on September 2nd. “We ask that everyone join together in support of the family and loved ones affected by this devastating loss.”
Several agencies are investigating the fire, including the Columbus County Fire Marshal’s Office, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the SBI. As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office had not determined the cause of the fire.
“During an extensive scene examination and investigative efforts, no conclusive source of ignition has been identified,” according to the agency. “However, investigators have found no evidence to suggest that the fire was started intentionally.”
Powers was booked into the Columbus County Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon with a $400,000 bond. She reportedly bonded out shortly after. She was set to appear in court on Thursday at 3 p.m.
