Additional Coverage:
- Four young girls die in horrifying house fire after ‘mom left them at home unattended’ (irishstar.com)
Tragedy Strikes North Carolina as Four Young Girls Perish in House Fire
Four young sisters tragically lost their lives in a house fire in Columbus County, North Carolina, early Wednesday morning. Authorities responded to a frantic call from their mother, 28-year-old Reagan Powers, around 2:30 am, reporting the blaze and that her daughters were trapped inside. The responding officers found the home fully engulfed in flames, making rescue attempts impossible.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) has since charged Powers with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse with serious bodily injury. Authorities allege that Powers left the four children, aged 2, 4, 6, and 7, home alone in the care of an 11-year-old.
Sheriff Bill Rogers and County Fire Marshall Shannon Blackman released a joint statement expressing condolences and asking for community support for the grieving family. They also emphasized the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Powers appeared in court on Thursday, where the judge outlined potential maximum sentences of 59 months for each involuntary manslaughter charge and 88 months for each count of negligent child abuse. While initially held on a $500,000 bond, Powers has since been released on bail. The children’s father, Patrick Ellis, shared his profound grief over the devastating loss of his daughters.
Over 100 community members gathered at a Chadbourn funeral home on Tuesday to mourn the loss of the four young girls. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the continuing threat of residential fires, which claimed the lives of approximately 2,890 people in 2023, according to the US Fire Administration.