Parents Face Charges in Fire That Killed Five Children

A house fire that claimed the lives of five children has led to first-degree arson charges against three parents, including a stepfather who had blamed the victims for playing with matches, authorities say.

The three defendants were arraigned Wednesday night and jailed on $250,000 bail. Assistant State Fire Marshal Greg Greer said an investigation found that gasoline had been poured in the home before it was set ablaze Nov. 21.

A grand jury will decide whether the three--Ricky Brown; his wife, Barbara; and Janette Ables--should also face murder charges.

All the adults, including two not charged, made it out alive and then watched and wailed as firefighters found the five bodies.

Officials say the three parents wanted to collect on a home insurance policy.

State Fire Marshal Walter Smittle would not say whether he believes that the three meant to kill the youngsters or if the deaths resulted from an arson plot gone horribly wrong. He also refused to disclose the amount of the policy.

“The fact that anyone could kill their own children is beyond comprehension,” said neighbor Francie Yeager. “I can’t imagine anyone being that evil.”

Brown, whose three stepchildren died, had said the children had been playing with fire and that an extinguisher failed to work as the house went up in flames even before firefighters arrived from less than two blocks away.

As the bodies of her two children were being removed from the house, Ables was forcibly taken away in an ambulance, screaming, “I don’t want to go!” witnesses said.

Neighbors also saw Barbara Brown crying and smoking cigarettes with her husband as the bodies of the children, ages 3 to 10, were retrieved from the first floor.

In two conversations in the month before the fire, Ables heard the Browns discuss the fact that “financial gain could be made” by burning down the house, which Brown owned and had insured, according to court papers and testimony.

Brown’s brother, David Brown, also was present during the conversations, investigators said. He and another adult escaped the fire but were not charged.

Fire investigators took additional photos of the home Thursday as firefighters cut away parts of the floor. A procession of cars slowly drove past the ruins.