Massena Police Chief Cody Wilson on Wednesday confirmed a sixth person – a grandparent – died in a house fire in Massena that killed five other family members Monday night, and state investigators say the deadly blaze started in the kitchen.
Also on Wednesday, Joseph Bowen, a family member, identified the six victims who died in the fire in a statement to Spectrum News 1.
“The family would like to extend its deepest appreciation for the Massena and surrounding community, the emergency response team, the medical team, and that of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, as our family continues to mourn not just 1 but 6 family members. Diana Avery, Thomas Bowen, Tiara Bowen, Joshuha Bowen, Eli Bowen, and Karmen Bowen may be gone but have shown will live in the spirits of the community members and their families. Although our hearts are saddened and mourn for the loss of our family members, it is uplifting to hear how our family has touched and uplifted this community. Like this tragedy, words cannot express how this affects the community they had and the coming together of the community,” said Joseph Bowen, the brother of Thomas Bowen, the father killed in the fire.
Wilson also said an investigation continues into what caused the fire.
The Office of Fire Prevention and Control, which is now leading the investigation, said Wednesday afternoon it had completed an examination of the Chase Street property, and it determined the fire originated in the kitchen area. Investigators were still gathering information.
The Massena Fire Department said three engines from the department responded to the scene before 10 p.m. Monday night, with "multiple victims" found and transported to area hospitals, it said.
Three students in the Massena Central School District died in the fire, the school district said Tuesday. All six victims were rushed to nearby hospitals. All six died.
"Last evening, three of our students and their parents perished in a house fire. Our hearts are broken at the loss of the three Bowen children: Eli, Joshuha and Karmen," Superintendent of Schools Ronald Burke said Tuesday morning in a statement.
He spoke again on Wednesday. When tragedy strikes here, Burke said it affects the entire community.
“This is small town America,” Ronald Burke said. “This is shaking our community to the core,” he added. “You just can't even begin to describe it."
Burke said two of the children attended Messina Junior High School, and the other went to the elementary school.
“When you see the tears, when you hear their stories about these kids, you just realize, yeah, they weren't just good kids. They were great kids,” Burke added.
The school district closed Tuesday due weather, but opened the Madison Elementary School Library to dozens of students, families and staff, Burke said. The session included students, teachers and district staff, even the children's bus driver. As you can imagine, Burke said the emotion was heartbreaking.
“The harsh part of this, too, is just seeing the pain on the teachers and on the staff. When I met the bus driver in the hallway coming in today, the emotions, the raw emotions just on her. It goes to show, well, how we're all feeling,” Burke added.
It was a critical meeting, he said, especially for the students and helping them process.
“It's OK for your kids to see that because the kids need that, they need to know it's okay,” Burke said of showing emotion.
Massena schools will reopen Thursday after a two hour delay, That's, in part, to ensure the district has enough substitute teachers on hand in case classroom teachers find themselves struggling. If they need a minute.
“At some point, emotions will get to people, and they're going to need some. It's going to need some help,” he said.
The Massena fire was the latest – and deadliest – of three fatal house fires across upstate New York in a less than 48-hour span.
Another Monday night fire in the Albany County town of Colonie killed three people and sent two others to the hospital, according to authorities, while two people died in a fire in Dutchess County on Sunday evening. That fire led to an arson arrest, police said.