A homicide investigation is underway after eight people were found dead in a house fire in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, police said Thursday.
The fire took place on the 400 block of South Hickory Avenue, police said. A family of eight, including six children, lived in the house, as confirmed by witnesses, the Broken Arrow Police Department said during a press conference.
Police were unable to confirm who the victims are as of Thursday night, including whether or not the family members who lived in the house are among the eight people deceased, but said there’s no threat to the community.
Authorities said it was a large fire with “a lot of moving parts,” and an investigation is underway.
“BAPD continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. It is a complex scene given the state of the house due to the fire damage,” the police department wrote on Twitter.
.@BA_Police can confirm 8 dead at a house in the 400 block of S Hickory Ave. BAPD continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. It is a complex scene given the state of the house due to the fire damage. This remains under investigation
— Broken Arrow Police (@BA_Police) October 28, 2022
A press conference was scheduled for Friday morning with the police and fire chiefs.
Broken Arrow is a suburb of Tulsa and is located about 125 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
The resident of this house should not have died. They probably did not have fire and smoke detectors installed throughout the house. I’m willing to bet that at least 49% people reading about this sad incident DO NOT HAVE adequate electrical and battery operated smoke detectors in their house. Locks removed on second story windows.