4 adults, 2 children killed in ‘horrific’ house fire, Tennessee sheriff says

Four adults and two children perished when a Tennessee home went up in flames the day after Christmas, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators have so far identified three of the six victims as Trent McCoy, 55, wife Karen McCoy, 54, and Christopher McCoy, 33, according to a Dec. 29 update.

“The identities of the other individuals who perished in the fire have not been confirmed. ... However, we strongly believe that Melissa McCoy, age 23, perished as well as two children: Arabella Dosset, age 4, and Ebonee McCoy, age 3,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The cause of death is not being released by the Medical Examiner’s Office at this time.”

The fire erupted “in the early morning hours” Monday, Dec. 26, in a rural community northwest of Crossville, according to a news release. Temperatures at the time were in the 20s.

Crossville is about 110 miles east of Nashville.

“By the time firefighters arrived on the scene the home was fully engulfed in flames,” the sheriff’s department reported. “This is a horrific event and a tragic loss for our community.”

A cause for the fire remains under investigation, officials said. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are among those who were called the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Tennessee, like much of the Southeast, saw extreme cold over the Christmas weekend, brought on by an arctic front. Forecasters called for snow and a high of 29 degrees in Crossville on Dec. 26.

This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 4:27 PM with the headline "4 adults, 2 children killed in ‘horrific’ house fire, Tennessee sheriff says."