EVANSVILLE — Investigators have been unable to determine what caused an East Powell Avenue home to catch fire Feb. 8, claiming the lives of three brothers between the ages of 10 and 14, despite an exhaustive inquiry that ruled out common ignition sources such as faulty electrical wiring.
Speaking to reporters outside the still-charred, two-story home Friday afternoon, Evansville Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Gentry provided what was surely a frustrating update for the team of investigators who had poured dozens of man-hours into pinpointing the cause of one of the city’s deadliest fires in recent memory.
“We have multiple ideas of how it could have started, but we cannot factually state the exact cause of the fire,” Gentry said, before adding, “We did rule out or have a strong inclination that there’s no criminal activity involved.”…