COLUMBIA – Kentucky State Police at the Columbia Post are continuing its investigation into a house fire in Monroe County on Monday that claimed the life of a baby, and severely injured another young child.
The KSP says they received a call from the Monroe County 911 Center requesting investigative assistance at the scene of a residential fire on West 6th Street in the city of Tompkinsville around 1 p.m.
Troopers responded to the home, along with the Tompkinsville Fire Department. The preliminary investigation revealed that 25-year-old Ashton Wright was asleep and woke up to her house full of smoke. Ms. Wright’s two juvenile children were also inside the residence. Ms. Wright, with the assistance of a neighbor, was able to get one of her children out of the residence; however, they were unable to reach her other child.
Firefighters made entry into the home and located an 8-month-old juvenile deceased inside. A 2-year-old juvenile was transported to the hospital for treatment of severe burns.
The cause of the fire is believed to have originated from an electric space heater inside the home, but the incident remains under investigation.
