Background: Aftermath of a fire on North Colony Road in Columbus County, North Carolina (Columbus County News/WNCN/YouTube). Inset: Reagan Powers (Columbus County Sheriff”s Office).
A North Carolina mother has been charged after four of her young daughters were killed in a house fire and two others were forced to escape.
Reagan Powers, aged 28, is facing charges of four counts each of involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse leading to serious bodily harm, according to court documents. The blaze erupted on Aug. 30 off a minor road in rural North Carolina.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the fire on North Colony Road after receiving a report about a structure fire with people trapped inside. Deputies were informed that a woman claimed her home was on fire with four children inside, as the law enforcement agency announced some days later.
The initial deputy reached the scene nine minutes after the report – however, the structure was already completely engulfed in flames by then. The fire was so intense, officials noted, that entering the home safely was not possible.
Four girls died in the fire. They were 2, 4, 6, and 7 years old, Raleigh CBS affiliate WNCN reported. Two 11-year-old girls were able to escape.
According to arrest warrants, Powers had left the younger children under the supervision of an 11-year-old girl while she departed the residence. Her destination remains unknown.
“Our community is grappling with an unfathomable tragedy,” Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers and Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman mentioned in a joint statement on Sept. 2. “We urge everyone to come together in support of the family and those affected by this heartbreaking loss.”
The fire is being investigated by several agencies, including the Columbus County Fire Marshal’s Office, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the SBI. As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said the cause of the fire remained undetermined.
“During an extensive scene examination and investigative efforts, no conclusive source of ignition has been identified,” the agency said. “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 on a $400,000 bond. She reportedly bonded out not long after. She was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday at 3 p.m.
