Four dead, one survivor in Cattaraugus County house fire: State Police

Four members of the same family are dead after an early morning fire ripped through a dwelling in the Cattaraugus County town of Yorkshire Friday.

Machias-based New York State Police said multiple fire departments responded at about 4 a.m. to the blaze at a single-family residence located at 3825 Creek Road in Yorkshire.

One family member was able to exit the residence and call 911. The other four family members were found deceased in the residence, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation said.

Fire personnel and the New York State Police Forensic Identification Unit recovered the victims, with some located after a search.

Positive identification of the victims will be made by a medical examiner’s office. Troopers said it may be one to two days before positive identifications of the dead are completed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but officials said the two-story house was engulfed in flames when the first emergency responders arrived. Based on the damage, investigators believe the fire began in the kitchen area.

New York State Fire and the Yorkshire Fire Department responded, as did several other fire companies and Cattaraugus County EMS.

State Police said one person who escaped the fire was helping investigators piece together what happened.

According to Trooper James O’Callaghan, a State Police public information officer, some of the victims attended Pioneer Central School. State police are conferring with the school district, which was setting up resources, including counseling, for anyone impacted by the fire.

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“It’s a very tragic event that has happened. You’re talking an entire family loss of life," O’Callaghan added.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Four dead, one survivor in Cattaraugus County house fire: State Police