Man Kills 3 Daughters, Wife, Then Dies in Fire

A man shot his wife and three young daughters, then set a fire that blew up their house Thursday night.

The bodies of all five were found in the ruins, burned beyond recognition, said Porterville Fire Chief Frank Guyton.

Autopsies were to be completed today.

The man spread a flammable liquid around the house in this small Tulare County town, then lit it, according to federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spokeswoman Marti McKee. The house exploded when the fumes ignited.

The girls were 11, 7 and 2 years old, McKee said. Officials did not release the identities of any of the victims.

Neighbors reported the explosion at 10:16 p.m., and the house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived minutes later.

The explosion appeared to have originated at the rear of the home, police officers at the scene said.

The garage remained intact, but the rest of the house was a burned-out shell.

Debris was scattered around the home as neighbors watched firefighters clean up the area Friday morning.

Teenager Leo Munoz was next door when the house exploded. He said he heard a loud boom, followed by the sound of shattered glass hitting the ground. He and relatives tried to fight the fire with a garden hose, but backed away because of the heat.

Terry Blasdell, who lives across the street, said her husband, a Fire Department lieutenant, tried to see if anyone was inside before the house was consumed by flames.

“It went up fast,” she said.

The home is in a residential neighborhood.

The blast is being investigated by local fire and police officials, the ATF and the state fire marshal’s arson and bomb unit.

“The more investigative eyes you have trained on the evidence the better,” Guyton said. “We don’t have too many fatal fires here.”