Three die in house fire
From left, Smith Valley Assistant Fire Chief Doug Scarff, Bigfork Fire Chief Wayne Loeffler and Evergreen Fire Chief Craig Williams inspect the outside of a Columbia Falls-area home where three bodies were found during a fire Friday morning. These firefighters were part of a county team investigating the fatal fire.
Three people died Friday during an early morning fire at their home north of Columbia Falls.
Columbia Falls firefighters discovered the bodies of a man, a woman and a boy inside the home soon after they arrived on the burning house a little after 6 a.m.
Two bodies were found in the hallway and one was in the bedroom.
Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen said a rescue had been the department’s first priority.
“We tried to gain access to the individuals to rescue them,” he said, “but when we discovered them, they were gone.”
Flames were pouring from the windows when crews arrived. About one third of the house was engulfed.
The Flathead County Fire Investigation Team and the assistant state fire marshal joined the Columbia Falls Fire Department on Friday morning to begin their investigation of the scene.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Daily Inter Lake.