Young brothers — ages 4 and 5 — die in mobile home fire, South Carolina coroner says
Young brothers — ages 4 and 5 — were killed when a mobile home caught fire in South Carolina, officials said.
The fire was reported at about 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 21 in the Westminster area, roughly 50 miles southwest of Greenville. The boys’ mother and their twin 1-year-old brothers also were in the home at the time of the deadly blaze, according to the Oconee County Coroner’s Office.
The three managed to escape and were taken to a hospital for evaluations, officials told WHNS and WYFF.
The older brothers, who lived at the home, were identified as 4-year-old Heath Trey Daniel Morse and 5-year-old Jacob Edward Todd Morse.
Autopsies were performed, and the older boys’ cause of death was determined to be “smoke inhalation secondary to home fire.” Their manner of death was accidental, the coroner’s office wrote in a news release.
“The fire remains under investigation by the Oconee County Fire - Emergency Services, Oconee County Sheriff’s Department, SLED (S.C. Law Enforcement Division) Fire Investigators and the SC Fire Marshal’s Office,” the coroner’s office wrote, adding that autopsies were performed.
Oconee County Emergency Services didn’t immediately share additional details with McClatchy News on Dec. 22.
This story was originally published December 22, 2023 at 6:31 AM with the headline "Young brothers — ages 4 and 5 — die in mobile home fire, South Carolina coroner says."
