Nine killed in Kentucky house fire, authorities say

Nine people were killed early Thursday, Jan. 30, when fire tore through a house in Kentucky, authorities said.

By Elisha Fieldstadt, Staff Writer, NBC News

A mother and eight children were killed when a fire ignited by an electric heater tore through a Kentucky home on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Nine of an 11-member family were found dead in the house fire that erupted in a Muhlenberg County home in the middle of the night, said Trooper Stuart Recke, Kentucky State Police public affairs officer.

Two parents and their nine children lived in the single-story home, Recke said.

On Thursday afternoon, Kentucky State Police identified the mother as Larae Watson, 35, and the eight children killed: Madison, 15; Kaitlyn, 14; Morgan, 13; Emily, 9; Samuel, 8; Raegan, 6; Mark, 4 and Nathaniel, 4.

The father and another child escaped the fire and were flown to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville about 120 miles away for treatment, Recke said.

Leslie Hill, a Vanderbilt Medical Center spokeswoman, said Chad Watson, 36, and Kylie Watson, 11, were both in critical but stable condition.

More than 12 hours after the fire, investigators determined that an electric baseboard heater ignited a combustible material accidentally left too close to the heat source, Recke said.

The temperature in Muhlenberg County dropped to 1 degree overnight, while the region is accustomed to 35 degree temperatures in January, according to Weatherbase.com.

“We normally don’t have weather like that,” said Laura Bennett, who lives two doors down from the devastated house. “They said when they was trying to put the fire out, the water was turning to ice,” she added.

Bennett said the house had no more than three bedrooms and that the eleven family members were “piled up” in the limited space.

Harold McElvain, a former Muhlenberg County Sheriff who lives across the street, said the family was “a nice young family.”

“Everybody loved the kids,” McElvain said.

Timothy D. Easley / AP

Members of the Kentucky State Fire Marshall's office look over the remains of a house fire in Muhlenberg County, Ky., Thursday Jan. 30, 2014.

Bennett said that Samuel was playing at her house on Wednesday night with her 8-year-old daughter.

“He went home, and then 10 hours later he’s gone.”

A neighbor called the fire department around 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, Recke said, adding that firefighters have reported the house was “fully engulfed” when they arrive minutes later.

Crews put the fire out within an hour, Recke said. Still, “as I’m facing the house, the right side of the house is basically gone,” he added.

Recke said no other property was damaged in the neighborhood, which is about 150 miles southwest of Louisville.

Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., expressed his sympathies to the family and community from the senate floor on Thursday afternoon. “The entire Commonwealth stands beside Muhlenberg County right now, and we’ll do whatever we can to help you recover from this horrific loss.”

Nine people, including eight children, are feared dead after a fire ripped through a home in Greenville, Kentucky. NBC News' Frances Kuo reports.

This story was originally published on Thu Jan 30, 2014 4:24 PM EST

Oklahoma teacher names son after student killed in tornado

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Sue Ogrocki / AP

Jennifer Rogers, left, and her husband Nyle Rogers, right, smile as they hold their baby Jack Nicolas Rogers, in their home in Edmond, Okla., Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014.

By Kristi Eaton, The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — The school's wall collapsed onto Jennifer Doan Rogers as she desperately tried to protect her third-grade students as a tornado ripped through their Oklahoma community. The young teacher had laid one of her hands on Nicolas McCabe, a 9-year-old with an infectious grin.

But it wasn't enough to protect him.

The monstrous tornado leveled part of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, killing six of her students — including Nicolas — last spring. Rogers, who was eight weeks pregnant at the time, lay buried under the rubble with a broken back.

"He was actually the closest one to me, that I had my hand on, that didn't make it," she said.

Seven months later, Rogers gave birth to a boy. She named him after Nicolas.

Rogers, 31, said she had been thinking about it for some time. She was unsure if it would bring her more sadness to name her own son after her former student, a little boy who loved riding his go-kart and, according to his father, never met a stranger. He also was very close to his mother.

Ultimately, Rogers said, she and her husband decided on Jack Nicolas.

The new mother hoped her infant son, who was born in December, would help in her recovery from the injuries — both physical and emotional — that she suffered during the storm. The top-tier EF5 tornado, with winds exceeding 200 mph, ripped a 17-mile path of devastation through the Oklahoma City suburb on May 20. The storm killed 24 people and destroyed dozens of homes and buildings, including two elementary schools.

Nicolas' father, Scott McCabe, struggles to talk about losing his only son. But he said that Nicolas, regardless of someone's age or gender, would befriend them. He often shared his lunches with his friends.

Learning that Nicolas' teacher was naming her own son after his brought a wave of emotions, McCabe said.

"It's real hard. He was my only son. I mean I'm honored, yes, but she was the last one to touch Nicolas," McCabe said as he broke down in tears. "I don't know how to put it, she was the last one to see my little boy. And it's still kind of hard."

Rogers, too, is still recovering. She suffered a fractured spine and sternum. She refused pain medication for fear it would harm her baby, and she wore a back brace for several weeks.

"It was a lot harder than my other pregnancies, for sure," said Rogers, who also has two daughters, ages 6 and 3. "I was so limited. I couldn't do a whole lot. For a while after everything happened I was in a full brace and carrying him and it just, I mean, it was rough."

But she is determined to complete the necessary work to go back into the classroom. Though she knows it will be tough, she said she hopes to get approval to return to teaching next school year — at Plaza Towers.

The school is being rebuilt, this time with reinforced safe rooms that can withstand powerful storms.

"I just feel like there's a lot of me in there still," Rogers said. "I would think it's hard at the same time, but it'll be a new year and a new building."

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Two killed, deputy hurt in California patrol car crash

 By Christina Cocca and Kate Larsen, NBCLosAngeles.comTwo people were killed and two were hurt, including a deputy, after a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department patrol car collided with another car, officials said.The collision between the patrol car and Ford Explorer happened about 4:30 p.m. near 17th Street East and Avenue R in Palmdale, said California Highway Patrol Capt. Gretchen Jacobs.Officials have not said who was at fault in the crash."It's unknown whether the Explorer stopped for a stop sign or not, and we have conflicting information about that," Jacobs said. Officials did not know the speed either of the vehicles was traveling, she said.Corvette Driver Shot, Killed After Hour-Long PursuitThe Ford Explorer had four people inside when it spun out of control. The driver and front passenger were not hurt, but a man and woman in the backseat were thrown from the SUV and killed, officials said.The deputy was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.Video from the scene showed the patrol car on the side of the road with a smashed front end. A tan SUV could be seen near the scene of the crash with damage also on the front end.Debris from the crash was scattered across the road.The female victim was a 20-year-old woman, according to her family members, who were at the scene of the crash. The other victim was her boyfriend, relatives said.The woman's family were screaming and crying as they mourned their loss."My daughter is dead, she is dead," the woman's father could be seen screaming. "That is not ok."The deputy did not have the patrol car siren on at the time of the collision."We do not know at this time what he was responding to," LASD Capt. Don Ford said.A witness at the scene said the intersection where the crash happened is known to be dangerous.Additional details about the crash were not immediately clear.This story was originally published on Sun Dec 15, 2013 3:18 AM EST

Four killed, more than 60 injured as commuter train derails in NY

 NBC’s Katy Tur gives an update on the New York train derailment victims. By Richard Esposito, Hasani Gittens and M. Alex Johnson, NBC NewsA commuter train derailed Sunday morning as it hurtled around a sharp curve in New York City, killing four passengers and injuring dozens of others who were tossed around like rag dolls, authorities said.Investigators want to know why a New York-bound train derailed, killing four people and injuring dozens more. NBC's Tom Costello reports.Officials said at least 63 other people were injured when all seven cars of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad train jumped the tracks as it was rounding the notorious sharp turn right before the historic Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx about 7:22 a.m. ET.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority identified the four passengers who were killed as Jim Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; James Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.; Donna Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.; and Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens.Fire officials said that as many as 11 of the injured were critical and that six were in serious condition.Initial reports said some of the cars had gone into the Hudson River, but they narrowly avoided plunging into river. Police divers were in the frigid waters just in case, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said."Everything has proven negative as far as those searches are concerned," he said.Sources told NBC News late Sunday afternoon that the train's engineer — a "respected veteran" with 20 years of Metro-North experience who suffered minor injuries — claimed when first responders arrived that he hit the brakes as the train approached the turn.Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, wouldn't discuss what might have caused the accident. Investigators said they had recovered the train's data recorder, which should show how fast it was traveling and whether its brakes did, in fact, fail.What can travelers expect for their work commutes Monday morning? NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. Weener said cars that were still on their sides were being uprighted to see whether there were any other deaths or injuries.Just short of the stationMetro-North said the 5:54 a.m. diesel train from Poughkeepsie derailed just feet from the water near the station. It was due at Grand Central Station at 7:43 a.m.The train was half full, with about 150 passengers, rail officials said. The locomotive was on the north end of the train, pushing the cars southward."On a workday, fully occupied, it would have been a tremendous disaster," Fire Commissioner Salvatore Joseph Cassano told reporters at the scene.One of the victims was found in the first car, one was found outside that car, another was found near the second and third cars, and the fourth was found outside the fourth car. In a note to staff, TODAY Executive Producer Don Nash said Lovell was a TODAY audio technician who was on his way to prep the 30 Rock Christmas tree for this week’s lighting when the train derailed.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and federal safety officials say the investigation could take a week to 10 days."It's a reminder to all of us that life is a precious gift," Cuomo said at an afternoon news conference.The condition of the tracks and the cars will be the focus of the NTSB probe, along with the speed the train was traveling, Weener said. The investigation is expected to take a week to 10 days.Sherelle Coore, a 19-year-old college student from the Bronx who was aboard the train, told her cousin from her hospital bed that she felt a "jerking" movement and then everything started happening very quickly. "She hit the side of her head," Coore's cousin, Lisa Delgado, told NBC New York. "She saw the woman in front of her go out the other window. Her glass broke, and she hung on to the side rails like a monkey while the train was flipping and the rocks were coming in."Sherry Nemmers, who lives near the scene, told NBC News that she heard a sound "that was a little too familiar for me." She'd heard it before this summer, when a CSX freight train hauling trash on the same line derailed near the same area of the Bronx. NTSB via TwitterNTSB investigators retrieve an event recorder from the derailed Metro North train. "I heard this thud — this dull thud. It sort of sent chills up me because it was a sound that I heard in July," Nemmers said. "I was afraid that it was going to be a train, and it was."No one was injured in July, but questions were raised about the safety of the track's design and its notoriously sharp turn right before the station. Cuomo noted that the two accidents happened at about the same location but said, "There has to be another factor. ... It can't just be the curve."Weener said the agency would examine whether Sunday's incident could be related, but he said, "At this point in time, we have no indication it was a factor."At least six cops injuredAt St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where at least 10 victims were taken, officials said critical patients had spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Carlo Allegri / ReutersThe train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.Hospital officials said the injured there included a 14-year-old boy and his father, along with a New York police officer on her way to work who suffered broken bones. Sources said five off-duty New York officers were among the injured, all with relatively minor injuries and reported to be stable.Metro-North Hudson line service was suspended in both directions. Amtrak service between New York and Albany reopened in midafternoon with delays."I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use these lines should plan on a long commute," Cuomo said.President Barack Obama was informed of the crash by the Department of Homeland Security, a White House official said. "His thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families who lost a loved one and everyone affected by this incident," the official said.The White House said Obama would continue to stay in touch with New York officials throughout the day.MTA officials said JFK High School in the Bronx has been established as a meeting area for passengers and their loved ones, and 718-817-7444 is the contact number for those seeking the status of relatives who may have been aboard the train.Elisha Fieldstadt, Katy Tur, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Kristen Dahlgren and Christopher E. Nelson of NBC News contributed to this report.Related: Train derailment latest in string of problems for Metro-North this yearThis story was originally published on Sun Dec 1, 2013 2:57 PM EST

Small plane crashes near remote Alaska village; 4 killed, 6 survive

  Alaska Dept. of Public SafetyThis photo, provided by the state of Alaska, shows wreckage from the Cessna 208 operated by Hageland Aviation that crashed near St. Marys village on Friday. By Simon Moya-Smith and Jay Blackman, Staff Writers, NBC NewsFour people were killed -- including an infant -- and six injured after a small commercial flight crashed Friday near a remote village in western Alaska, police said. After failing to revive her newborn, the mother then walked nearly a mile to seek help, police said.The pilot and three passengers died in the Friday night crash near the village of St. Marys, Megan Peters, a spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, said Saturday.The dead were identified as pilot Terry Hansen, Rose Polty and Richard Polty and the infant, Wyatt Coffee.Peters said she had no immediate word on the six survivors' condition.The single-engine, turboprop Cessna 208 was a Hageland Aviation flight from Bethel to Mountain Village and Saint Marys, said Kathy Roser, a spokeswoman for Era Alaska airline. Hageland is part of Era Alaska.Jim Hickerson, president of Hageland Aviation, told the Anchorage Daily News the six survivors were injured.The wreckage was found about 4 miles east of Saint Marys. Troopers and an air ambulance service responded to the scene, Peters said.The survivors are Melanie Coffee, Pauline Johnson, Kylan Johnson, Tonya Lawrence, Garrett Moses and Shannon Lawrence.Coffee unsuccessfully tried to revive her newborn baby and then walked nearly a mile to lead searchers to the wreckage site.Village Police Officer Fred Lamont Jr. said Saint Marys responders received word of the crash when Coffee of Mountain Village called a village health aide seeking help in resuscitating her newborn.Lamont says Coffee considered starting a fire to attract searchers but finally just walked to lights near the community landfill, where she met searchers.An emergency locator beacon signal helped pinpoint the crash site, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson said.There was no immediate word on what caused the crash. The NTSB told NBC News that it would send two investigators to investigate the accident.The temperature in the area Friday night was about 18 degrees.Saint Marys, with a population of about 500, is roughly 470 miles from Anchorage.NBC News' Tom Costello and Justin Kirschner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Three of four passengers killed on NY commuter train identified

 NBC’s Katy Tur gives an update on the New York train derailment victims. By Richard Esposito, Hasani Gittens and M. Alex Johnson, NBC NewsA commuter train derailed Sunday morning as it hurtled around a sharp curve in New York City, killing four passengers and injuring dozens of others who were tossed around like rag dolls, authorities said.Investigators want to know why a New York-bound train derailed, killing four people and injuring dozens more. NBC's Tom Costello reports.Officials said at least 63 other people were injured when all seven cars of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad train jumped the tracks as it was rounding the notorious sharp turn right before the historic Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx about 7:22 a.m. ET.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority identified the four passengers who were killed as Jim Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; James Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.; Donna Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.; and Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens.Fire officials said that as many as 11 of the injured were critical and that six were in serious condition.Initial reports said some of the cars had gone into the Hudson River, but they narrowly avoided plunging into river. Police divers were in the frigid waters just in case, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said."Everything has proven negative as far as those searches are concerned," he said.Sources told NBC News late Sunday afternoon that the train's engineer — a "respected veteran" with 20 years of Metro-North experience who suffered minor injuries — claimed when first responders arrived that he hit the brakes as the train approached the turn.Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, wouldn't discuss what might have caused the accident. Investigators said they had recovered the train's data recorder, which should show how fast it was traveling and whether its brakes did, in fact, fail.What can travelers expect for their work commutes Monday morning? NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. Weener said cars that were still on their sides were being uprighted to see whether there were any other deaths or injuries.Just short of the stationMetro-North said the 5:54 a.m. diesel train from Poughkeepsie derailed just feet from the water near the station. It was due at Grand Central Station at 7:43 a.m.The train was half full, with about 150 passengers, rail officials said. The locomotive was on the north end of the train, pushing the cars southward."On a workday, fully occupied, it would have been a tremendous disaster," Fire Commissioner Salvatore Joseph Cassano told reporters at the scene.One of the victims was found in the first car, one was found outside that car, another was found near the second and third cars, and the fourth was found outside the fourth car. In a note to staff, TODAY Executive Producer Don Nash said Lovell was a TODAY audio technician who was on his way to prep the 30 Rock Christmas tree for this week’s lighting when the train derailed.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and federal safety officials say the investigation could take a week to 10 days."It's a reminder to all of us that life is a precious gift," Cuomo said at an afternoon news conference.The condition of the tracks and the cars will be the focus of the NTSB probe, along with the speed the train was traveling, Weener said. The investigation is expected to take a week to 10 days.Sherelle Coore, a 19-year-old college student from the Bronx who was aboard the train, told her cousin from her hospital bed that she felt a "jerking" movement and then everything started happening very quickly. "She hit the side of her head," Coore's cousin, Lisa Delgado, told NBC New York. "She saw the woman in front of her go out the other window. Her glass broke, and she hung on to the side rails like a monkey while the train was flipping and the rocks were coming in."Sherry Nemmers, who lives near the scene, told NBC News that she heard a sound "that was a little too familiar for me." She'd heard it before this summer, when a CSX freight train hauling trash on the same line derailed near the same area of the Bronx. NTSB via TwitterNTSB investigators retrieve an event recorder from the derailed Metro North train. "I heard this thud — this dull thud. It sort of sent chills up me because it was a sound that I heard in July," Nemmers said. "I was afraid that it was going to be a train, and it was."No one was injured in July, but questions were raised about the safety of the track's design and its notoriously sharp turn right before the station. Cuomo noted that the two accidents happened at about the same location but said, "There has to be another factor. ... It can't just be the curve."Weener said the agency would examine whether Sunday's incident could be related, but he said, "At this point in time, we have no indication it was a factor."At least six cops injuredAt St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where at least 10 victims were taken, officials said critical patients had spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Carlo Allegri / ReutersThe train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.Hospital officials said the injured there included a 14-year-old boy and his father, along with a New York police officer on her way to work who suffered broken bones. Sources said five off-duty New York officers were among the injured, all with relatively minor injuries and reported to be stable.Metro-North Hudson line service was suspended in both directions. Amtrak service between New York and Albany reopened in midafternoon with delays."I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use these lines should plan on a long commute," Cuomo said.President Barack Obama was informed of the crash by the Department of Homeland Security, a White House official said. "His thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families who lost a loved one and everyone affected by this incident," the official said.The White House said Obama would continue to stay in touch with New York officials throughout the day.MTA officials said JFK High School in the Bronx has been established as a meeting area for passengers and their loved ones, and 718-817-7444 is the contact number for those seeking the status of relatives who may have been aboard the train.Elisha Fieldstadt, Katy Tur, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Kristen Dahlgren and Christopher E. Nelson of NBC News contributed to this report.Related: Train derailment latest in string of problems for Metro-North this yearThis story was originally published on Sun Dec 1, 2013 2:57 PM EST

Infant among 4 killed when small plane crashes near Alaska village

   Alaska Dept. of Public SafetyThis photo, provided by the state of Alaska, shows wreckage from the Cessna 208 operated by Hageland Aviation that crashed near St. Marys village on Friday. By Simon Moya-Smith and Jay Blackman, Staff Writers, NBC NewsFour people were killed -- including an infant -- and six injured after a small commercial flight crashed Friday near a remote village in western Alaska, police said. After failing to revive her newborn, the mother then walked nearly a mile to seek help, police said.The pilot and three passengers died in the Friday night crash near the village of St. Marys, Megan Peters, a spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, said Saturday.The dead were identified as pilot Terry Hansen, Rose Polty and Richard Polty and the infant, Wyatt Coffee.Peters said she had no immediate word on the six survivors' condition.The single-engine, turboprop Cessna 208 was a Hageland Aviation flight from Bethel to Mountain Village and Saint Marys, said Kathy Roser, a spokeswoman for Era Alaska airline. Hageland is part of Era Alaska.Jim Hickerson, president of Hageland Aviation, told the Anchorage Daily News the six survivors were injured.The wreckage was found about 4 miles east of Saint Marys. Troopers and an air ambulance service responded to the scene, Peters said.The survivors are Melanie Coffee, Pauline Johnson, Kylan Johnson, Tonya Lawrence, Garrett Moses and Shannon Lawrence.Coffee unsuccessfully tried to revive her newborn baby and then walked nearly a mile to lead searchers to the wreckage site.Village Police Officer Fred Lamont Jr. said Saint Marys responders received word of the crash when Coffee of Mountain Village called a village health aide seeking help in resuscitating her newborn.Lamont says Coffee considered starting a fire to attract searchers but finally just walked to lights near the community landfill, where she met searchers.An emergency locator beacon signal helped pinpoint the crash site, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson said.There was no immediate word on what caused the crash. The NTSB told NBC News that it would send two investigators to investigate the accident.The temperature in the area Friday night was about 18 degrees.Saint Marys, with a population of about 500, is roughly 470 miles from Anchorage.NBC News' Tom Costello and Justin Kirschner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Woman killed in first walk after motorcycle accident

Shomari Stone, NBCWashington.comSally Ann Okuly survived cancer. And he survived a motorcycle accident six months ago, feels it sufficiently well to leave the House last week for the first time in half a year.But his determination was no match for a car on Sunday morning. Okuly was run over by a car and killed when he left his Woodbridge, Virginia House for the first time, to cross the street to your favorite store and buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee.Police say that a car driven by Amanda styles-Mays, 24, crashed into Okuly as she crossed in Opitz Boulevard and Montgomery Avenue. Okuly was crossing with the light and was in the crosswalk.Styles-Mays has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and reckless driving."One of her favorite to make things was to walk on that front Wawa gas station," said her husband, Bill Okuly, who still struggles with his emotions when he speaks of his wife.Sally Ann was also a mother of two children. The couple - who were members of the motorcycle club Rolling Thunder - was created to celebrate their anniversary 41 on Monday."She's the most generous in the world person," said Bill Okuly.However, he said, feels that his wife will always remain with him. "Oh yes, she will always be there," said Bill Okuly.